By: Henry Krueger, Gonzaga University ‘25
Luis Gil buried a long-range goal and Ahmed Longmire scored on a header, but it wasn’t enough for Spokane Velocity FC to secure a win as Sunday’s match ended in a 2-2 draw versus Lexington SC in Georgetown, Kentucky.
It was a tale of two halves at Toyota Stadium, with Velocity (2-2-1) and Lexington (1-3-2) tallying two goals each in the first 40 minutes before going scoreless for the remainder of the match, including eight minutes of stoppage time.
Both teams had plenty of early chances, but it was Velocity striking first on a header from Longmire in minute 18. The play began with Gil delivering a well-placed corner kick that found Longmire wide open near the far post. Longmire’s header redirected the ball into the bottom left corner of the goal to put Velocity ahead 1-0.
Lexington responded by applying pressure on Velocity’s back line until a misplayed pass from Collin Fernandez set up the home team’s first goal in the 26th minute. Shortly after Fernandez’s pass was intercepted, Lexington’s Abel Alejandro Caputo sent a pass through the defense to Yannick Yankam, whose shot deflected off the hand of goalkeeper Carlos Merancio into the goal.
As Velocity’s back line continued to get challenged, Lexington had another breakthrough in the 34th minute when Azaad Liadi dribbled past a defender on the right wing and tapped a goal between the legs of Merancio for a 2-1 lead.
Feeling the momentum starting to shift in Lexington’s favor, Gil provided the answer for Velocity in spectacular fashion. In minute 37, he unleashed a booming shot from nearly 40 yards out that bounced past goalkeeper Amal Knight’s outstretched arms to level the score at 2-2.
While both teams made aggressive attempts to pull ahead before halftime, the score remained even going into the intermission.
The second half was mostly controlled by Velocity, which maintained 65% of the possession and set up numerous scoring chances. One of the team’s closest opportunities came in minute 97 when Derek Waldeck delivered a cross in the box to Longmire, whose header was batted over the goal by Knight.
Velocity failed to convert a corner kick in the final minute, which allowed Lexington to escape the match with a tie and snap a four-game losing streak.
“The game had its ups and downs,” said Gil, who earned Velocity’s ‘Goat of the Match.’ “We had our moments that created good football chances. At the same time, we still are having issues giving up soft goals. It is something we have to really work on. Overall, it was a hard fought point on this long road trip. We are taking it game by game but we are ready for the challenge.”
Head coach Leigh Veidman had mixed emotions on the match, stating the importance of getting points on the road but expressing frustration it wasn’t 3 points.
“In saying that we hold a level of frustration that we didn’t come away with 3 points which shows our hunger and desire as a group to push for more and be better, which is a good place to be in,” said Veidman.
Coach Veidman now looks forward to Wednesday’s match against Las Vegas Lights FC in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. Veidman’s club travels to Sin City after notching back-to-back 1-0 victories in the first and second rounds.
“Each game is an opportunity to learn and grow and today was no different,” said Velocity head coach Leigh Veidman. “Now all of our attention is on the open cup vs. Las Vegas on Wednesday.”
Las Vegas Lights FC competes at the USL Championship level — a tier above Velocity. Las Vegas has a 3-3 record and is in fifth place in the league’s Western Conference.
The upcoming match marks Lights FC’s debut in this year’s U.S. Open Cup. The bracket format pairs the 16 second-round victors against 16 USL Championship teams. The champion of the U.S. Open Cup will earn $300,000 in prize money, a berth in the 2025 Concacaf Champions League and have its name engraved on the Dewar Challenge Trophy. Catch Wednesday night’s U.S. Open Cup match on ESPN+ and at a watch party at Brick West Brewing.
Velocity will return home on April 27 to host Central Valley Fuego in the first match of USL League One’s inaugural in-season cup competition. Known as the USL Jägermeister Cup, the tournament includes a group stage and a knockout round that creates additional matches of consequence in the annual calendar.
Grab tickets to our next home match on April 27 at ONE Spokane Stadium! Find video highlights of the match on the USL Spokane App. Available in App Store and Google Play.