Arozarena’s magnificent save in stoppage time against Lexington SC earned the Lights three valuable points in their pursuit of playoff qualification.
Las Vegas Lights FC goalkeeper Raiko Arozarena was named to the USL Championship Team of the Week Bench for Week 26 on Tuesday morning.
Arozarena earned his spot on the Team of the Week Bench thanks to two world-class saves against Western Conference opponents Lexington SC that helped the Lights secure three precious points in their hunt for playoff qualification.
After a Brooks Thompson own goal put Vegas in the lead in the 17th minute, the match turned into a tactical battle with little breathing room for either attack; both teams had few chances to score. But whenever Lexington generated a high-quality opportunity, Arozarena was there to block it.
His first big save came in the 62nd minute, when a Blaine Ferri pass found an unmarked Nick Firmino inside the box. But Firmino’s low shot from the penalty spot was saved by Arozarena to keep the score 1-0 for the Lights.
But his masterpiece took place in the 95th minute: the last minute of stoppage time. Michael Adedokun crossed the ball from the edge of the box to Forster Ajago, who headed it convinced that the ball was going in. That was it. Lexington were taking a point from Cashman Field.
But Raiko did what Raiko always does: he pulled a miraculous save out of nowhere to seal the victory for the Lights in the dying moments of the game.
Las Vegas Lights FC will return to Cashman Field on Saturday, September 13 to host Miami FC for Hispanic Heritage Night. Tickets are available now at lasvegaslightsfc.com/tickets.
See below for the full USL Championship Team of the Week – Week 26:
GK – Koke Vegas, Rhode Island FC
D – Ricky Ruiz, El Paso Locomotive FC
D – Josh Jones, Louisville City FC
D – Samuel Shashoua, Birmingham Legion FC
M – Pedro Guimaraes, Orange County SC
M – Samuel Careaga, Hartford Athletic
M – Morey Doner, Oakland Roots SC
M – Sebastian Tregarthen, Birmingham Legion FC
F – Amir Daley, Birmingham Legion FC
F – Khori Bennett, Sacramento Republic FC
F – Ihsan Sacko, Phoenix Rising FC
Coach – Ryan Martin, Loudoun United FC
Bench – Raiko Arozarena (LV), Kai Greene (OAK), Kevon Lambert (LOU), Rodrigo López (SAC), Raheem Somersall (NC), Arquímides Ordóñez (LDN), Woobens Pacius (TBR)