Flower City Union Exits the U.S. Open Cup in Loss to USL Championship Side Lexington Sporting Club
By Justin Blair/NPSL.com
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup offers a chance for clubs to dream big and play against competition above their weight class. For Flower City Union that dream was disrupted with a 9-0 loss against a USL Championship side in Lexington Sporting Club.
The first half opened with Flower City on the attacking foot. Gomes De Almelda and Ely Sidibe were able to put pressure on the LSC’s backline with runs that teased the box. But ultimately, they could not put together shots at goal. The best chance came from a left-footed attempt by Jack Hopson outside the box in the sixth minute that went wide of frame. The Lilacs finished the first half with just three shots.
Center back Kyle Nelson provided Flower City with confident defending and a stabilizing presence with a pair of blocks and some timely interceptions. He finished the match with 12 defensive contributions including a 71 percent ground dual success rate. Head Coach Jordan Sullivan discussed Nelson’s importance to the squad post-match.
“He played over 500 games,” Sullivan said. “He knows the game. He’s got great temperament back there. We knew he was going to be our saving grace back there with all his experience. I can’t speak highly enough of him. He is one of the best players I’ve ever coached. I’m really happy he got one last game in a big professional environment.”
The tide of the match turned in the 20th minute when LSC’s Alfredo Midence danced around the defense at the six-yard box and cracked a shot that clanged off the left post. Where that shot fell short in the scoring department it made-up for in re-energizing LSC’s squad.
Lexington cashed in on that momentum with a fury of goals. In the 30th minute, Xavier Zengue delivered a near perfect cross into the Flower City box. Nick Firmino only had to reach his right foot out to direct the ball into the top left corner of goal.
Aaron Molloy added to that in the 36th minute with what might be the goal of the tournament. His left-footed shot in the left upper ninety was a thing of beauty. Nothing Lilac’s keeper Nathan Mejia could do with that.
Marcus Epps put the exclamation point on the first half with a 40th minute goal. Epps’s initial shot was saved by Mejia but it took a deflection off a FCU player back towards Epps. He met the ball in the air and punched it into goal.
Any hopes of getting back into the match coming out of the half were quickly extinguished in the 48th minute. Firmino picked up a brace on a lovely backheeled through ball by Phillip Goodrum. Firmino got onto it and beat Mejia one on one finishing off the goal.
Zengue extended the lead even further just minutes later by collecting a rebound off a Mejia save. Zengue’s right-footed shot cracked past a recovering Mejia into the near post.
The goals only continued pouring on from there. Goodrum picked up a goal of his own in the 61st minute. Blaine Ferri pinpointed goal with a free kick shot attempt in the 68th minute. Malik Henry-Scott dispatched a goal in the 76th minute. Tarik Scott closed the scoring ledger with a successful penalty attempt he earned on a direct run into the box in the 82nd minute.
With the final whistle sounding, Lexington SC advanced to the next round and Flower City Union turned the page to preparing for the upcoming NPSL season. Captain Matt Bamford shared his squad’s goal for the months ahead.
“We want to go that next step forward,” Banford said. “Nationals are in the cards for us this year. “We are one of the best teams in (the NPSL), and we are looking to show it again this year.”
Flower City will take a few weeks off before starting preseason training. The Lilacs will host Ambassadors FC Ohio on May 5th to open up their 2026 NPSL campaign.
Photo Credit: Justin Blair/NPSL.com
