Las Vegas Lights FC lost on the road to North Carolina FC 2-1 on Saturday night in the regular season finale. Next up, the Lights will host their first-ever playoff match on Friday, November 1 at Cashman Field as either the three or four seed in the Western Conference (depending on other results later tonight).
Las Vegas Lights FC got out of the gates quickly with an early goal in the 9th minute. After a missed header by a North Carolina FC defender, J.C. Ngando sprinted in behind with the ball and space in front of him. As he drove into the box, he cleverly laid it across for Khori Bennett, who guided it into the net for his 14th goal of the year.
However, NCFC responded straight away with the equalizer in the 12th minute. After an initial corner was cleared, Louis Perez had a second chance to serve in a dangerous ball to the back post. NCFC captain Paco Craig arrived right on time to power his header into the far corner.
NCFC took the lead just before halftime in the 45th minute. Another corner from Perez was flicked on by Evan Conway at the front post, redirecting the ball to the back post where Oalex Anderson was waiting to head it home for a 2-1 advantage.
Both teams had their chances in the second half. Most notably, NCFC goalkeeper Jake McGuire made an excellent save on Joe Gyau in the 75th minute and Ousman Jabang cleared an Anderson chip off the line in the 83rd minute.
Despite Las Vegas dominating possession in the closing stages, they were unable to find an equalizer and dropped the result 2-1 on the road.
Next up, the Lights will play in their first-ever playoff match at home at Cashman Field on Friday, November 1 at 7:30 p.m. PT. Tickets are available now at LasVegasLightsFC.com/tickets.
THREE TAKEAWAYS
Playoff Seeding: With the loss, Las Vegas Lights FC finishes the season on 50 points. While they currently sit in second place, they are guaranteed to finish in either third or fourth place once the Western Conference matches finish at the end of the night, depending on results.
Bennett Takes Second: Khori Bennett scored his 14th goal of the season to open the scoring against NCFC. That final tally moves him into second place on the Lights’ all-time single season scoring list as the regular season comes to a close.
Set Piece Frustration: Las Vegas conceded on two corners in the first half. Head Coach Dennis Sanchez will certainly be frustrated to lose the match via set piece vulnerability, and the coaching staff will certainly look to clean up the team’s defensive set piece organization and concentration heading into the playoffs.
SCORING SUMMARY
LV – 9’ – Khori Bennett (assist: JC Ngando)
NCFC – 12’ – Paco Craig (assist: Louis Perez)
NCFC – 45’ – Oalex Anderson (assist: Evan Conway)
MISCONDUCT SUMMARY
NCFC – 32’ – Collin Martin (Yellow)
LV – 36’ – Shawn Smart (Yellow)
LV – 36’ – Coleman Gannon (Yellow)
NCFC – 45’ – Oalex Anderson (Yellow)
NCFC – 63’ – Louis Perez (Yellow)
NCFC – 90+8’ – Lamar Batista (Yellow)
LINEUPS AND STATS | USL Championship Match Center
Las Vegas Lights FC – Raiko Arozarena, Grayson Doody, Joe Hafferty, Ousman Jabang, Gennaro Nigro (Solomon Asante 88’), Charlie Adams (Dre Fortune 69’), JC Ngando, Coleman Gannon (Christian Pinzón 69’), Shawn Smart (Joe Gyau 56’), Valentin Noël, Khori Bennett
Substitutes not used: Nicholas Ammeter, Elias Gärtig, Vaughn Covil
Total shots: 8
Shots on goal: 2
Fouls: 21
Corner kicks: 3
Offside: 1
Saves: 3
North Carolina FC: Jake McGuire, Paco Craig, Bryce Washington, Lamar Batista, Rafael Mentzingen, Rodrigo Da Costa (Jaden Servania 85’), Collin Martin, Ezra Armstrong (Shaft Brewer 88’), Evan Conway, Oalex Anderson (Raheem Sommersall 90+6’), Louis Perez (Jacori Hayes 85’)
Substitutes not used: Akira Fitzgerald, Daniel Navarro, Finn Sundstrom, Avalos
Total shots: 10
Shots on goal: 5
Fouls: 20
Corner kicks: 3
Offside: 0
Saves: 1
