Birmingham led 2-0 at halftime, but three Las Vegas goals in the second half and one goal for Birmingham made it a 3-3 draw.
LAS VEGAS, NV (July 8, 2023) – Birmingham Legion FC drew against Las Vegas Lights FC in Nevada on Saturday night. Legion held the lead at halftime by two goals. By the eightieth minute Las Vegas had equalized and the score was 2-2, and Enzo Martinez went on to put Birmingham up 3-2 over the hosts. The Lights went on to score in the third minute of added time to grab a late draw.
Juan Agudelo scored the first goal for the Black & Gold. Enzo Martinez fed a pin-point cross to Agudelo from the right side of the penalty area and Agudelo smashed it into the top left corner with a professional header.
Las Vegas turned up the pressure after conceding the first goal, but the Legion was able to get another on the hosts right before halftime. Martinez gave Tyler Pasher a brilliant ball in behind the Vegas defense, and the Canadian slotted it home to score his second goal in two matches.
“In the first half, we still gave a couple chances away and also felt like we had more chances to put them away,” said Head Coach Tommy Soehn. “And not doing that, especially when we come out in the second half and have really good opportunities, it’s just not good enough. They’re a team that if you get the third goal on them they’re done, but we have to roll up our sleeves and do a better job. We can’t allow three goals.”
Las Vegas came out swinging in the second half. Thirty minutes after the second half whistle the hosts scored their second goal to tie the game 2-2. Tabort Preston scored in the 60th minute and Andrew Carleton in the 67th.
“I think we were eager to go one way and not the other,” said Soehn. “Sometimes you gotta roll up your sleeves, and we just didn’t do that. We let them play around us and throw us every which way possible. It was a really poor performance once we started leaking.”
The Alabama Reds looked like they won themselves a lucky game-winner in the 81st minute when Martinez got on the end of a ball from captain Phanuel Kavita to put Legion up 3-2. Las Vegas went on to score a last-minute equalizer in the third minute of added time, though, that sealed the game at a draw.
“I think the 2-0 lead is extremely dangerous,” said Martinez. “By us not scoring that third goal, which I personally had the opportunity to do so, allowed them to get back into the game more and more. The momentum shifted and we had a hard time getting it back. I think this is a big lesson for all of us and I know we will remember this feeling the rest of the season.”
“To be able to have the lead twice and in important times of the game and only get one point from this, It hurts,” said Martinez. “As a team we have to look at ourselves.”
Box Score:
| 1st Half | 2nd Half | |
| Las Vegas | 0 | 3 |
| Birmingham | 2 | 1 |
Goals:
BHM – 31’ – #9 Juan Agudelo (assisted by #19 Enzo Martinez)
BHM – 45’ – #15 Tyler Pasher (assisted by #19 Enzo Martinez)
LV – 61’ – #8 Tabort Preston (assisted by #30 Andrew Carleton)
LV – 61’ – #30 Andrew Carleton
BHM – 81’ – #19 Enzo Martinez (assisted by #3 Phanuel Kavita)
LV – 90+3’ – #9 Pato Botello Faz (assisted by #45 Emmanuel Ledesma)
Starting XI:
BHM – 4-3-3 – #1 Matt VanOekel; #3 Phanuel Kavita, #33 Moses Mensah, #21 Alex Crognale, #13 Jake Rufe; #6 Anderson Asiedu, #19 Enzo Martinez, #10 Prosper Kasim; #11 Neco Brett, #15 Tyler Pasher, #9 Juan Agudelo
The Legionnaires return to Birmingham NEXT SATURDAY on July 15th! Come cheer on the Black & Gold as they take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies! Tickets can be purchased HERE.
For all club news and updates, fans are encouraged to follow @bhmlegion on social media and keep an eye on bhmlegion.com and the Legion FC app. Download the Legion FC app today on Apple or Android, and sync our 2023 schedule to your calendar HERE.
