Fresno, CA – In a thrilling encounter at the Fresno State Soccer Stadium, Central Valley Fuego FC faced off against Lexington SC on a lively Back 2 School Night. Despite a valiant effort from the home side, the match ended with a 3-1 victory for Lexington SC.
The game kicked off with an early strike from Lexington’s Cameron Lancaster in the 4th minute, setting the tone for the visitors. Fuego struggled to find their rhythm, and the task became more challenging in the 40th minute when Lexington’s Amal Knight received a yellow card for a reckless foul. Just two minutes later, Fuego’s Chris Heckenberg was also booked for a tactical foul, further heating up the contest.
Lexington capitalized on their momentum, doubling their lead in the 43rd minute when Ates Diouf found the back of the net, assisted by Y. Yankam, leaving Fuego trailing 2-0 as they headed into halftime.
Central Valley Fuego made a halftime substitution, bringing on Ashkanov Apollon for Kevin Garcia, who made history tonight as the youngest player to debut for the club. Unfortunately, the change couldn’t immediately spark a comeback, as Lexington’s Alexis Cerritos added a third goal in the 54th minute.
Despite the scoreline, Fuego continued to fight, making several substitutions, including debutant Sean Vinberg, who received a yellow card for a reckless foul in the 76th minute. Fuego’s persistence paid off in the 83rd minute when José Carrera-García scored to give the home fans something to cheer about.
As the clock ticked down, Lexington made a series of substitutions to maintain control of the game, ultimately securing a 3-1 win.
Fuego’s young talents showed promise, with debuts for Kevin Garcia and Sean Vinberg highlighting the night, but Lexington SC’s clinical finishing proved too much to overcome.
Sean Vinberg:
“It is one game, we have to do what we know we can do. You’ve seen it, this team can play really well. We just have to put 90 minutes together, that’s what it comes down to.”
Kevin Garcia on his first pro debut:
“It feels amazing, I got my family here. The culture and everything, the goal we scored, you can see that the fans went crazy, the atmosphere was great, I love it. I’m just really blessed and grateful for the opportunity.”
Head Coach Jermaine Jones:
“I think it’s just today, we have a bunch of guys that want to play championship, they want to play up there they want to play in the next level, today they faced a team with guys with a lot of experience in the championship and they were not able to step up to there level
I say positives from the match is Kevin was good when he came in with 16, I think Shawn played a good game, you know and Brayan played again a good game. I may take a big hit like this today but we build on what’s coming next.”
About Central Valley Fuego FC: Established in 2002, Central Valley Fuego FC is the region’s sole professional soccer club. Competing in USL League One, the club made its professional debut in April 2022. In 2024, all home matches will be hosted at Fresno State Soccer Stadium. Central Valley Fuego FC is dedicated to uniting the community through the love of soccer. For more information, visit www.fuegofc.com
