The night of October 16th 2025, Fort Lauderdale United FC (3-1-3, 12 points) fell for the first time this season, dropping a 1-5 decision to Lexington SC (3-0-5, 14 points) in their matchup between two of the Gainbridge Super League’s top teams.

The turning point of the match came early on, when Fort Lauderdale goalkeeper, Bella Hara, was shown a red card in the 27th minute after a last-defender foul outside the box. The sending off forced Fort Lauderdale to play with 10 players for the games remainder, this challenge eventually proved too much to overcome.

Lexington took advantage of the advantage numbers, scoring twice in the first 25 minutes before the red card and adding a third goal just before halftime to take a commanding 3–0 lead into the break. Despite the score, Fort Lauderdale continued to battle, with Sh’nia Gordon and Jasmine Hamid persevering on attack and creating several chances in the opening half.

After halftime, with goals in the 67th and 78th minutes, Lexington extended its lead. Fort Lauderdale broke through late, when midfielder Lilly McCarthy scored her first professional goal in the 82nd minute, a rocket from outside the box set up by Kelli Van Treeck. The strike provided a moment of celebration in an otherwise difficult evening for the visitors.

With the result, Fort Lauderdale’s unbeaten start of the season came to an abrupt end, while Lexington remained undefeated.

Fort Lauderdale will now have a chance to regroup with an extended break before returning home for a long awaited match at Beyond Bancard Field. The club will host Brooklyn FC on Saturday, November 1, a rematch of their early-season meeting in New York, where Fort Lauderdale earned a 2–1 victory. Following that contest, the team will enter another bye week before embarking on a busy stretch featuring four matches in 14 days.

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This article was written by an intern as part of our newsroom training program, under the supervision of:

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