Written by Zoë Lam
Phoenix Rising showed resilience by battling back from a 1-0 deficit to earn a 1-1 draw in Las Vegas. This draw extended the club’s unbeaten streak to three consecutive USL Championship matches. After controlling possession for stretches of the match and responding well after falling behind, Rising secured another valuable point on the road.
“I commend my players for the fighting spirit. You know, the will not to give up,” Kah said. “I think we also had okay, decent chances that we could have maybe done something. But overall, one one was a fair result.”
Rising continues its away stretch this weekend, traveling to Lexington SC Stadium to face Lexington SC as it looks to turn recent draws into wins and continue climbing the tightly contested Western Conference standings.
UNBEATEN THROUGH THREE
Phoenix Rising FC continues to build momentum, going unbeaten in its last three USL Championship matches while earning five points during that stretch. A win over Monterey Bay FC followed by draws against Hartford Athletic and Las Vegas Lights FC has kept Rising moving in the right direction.
“I think this is part of football. It’s part of the game. We just have to remain calm and patient because you know we haven’t lost, but we’re there,” Flores said. “We just got to remain together and remain confident that the season is about to end. We’re confident in each other that we’re going to get into the playoff spot.”
During the unbeaten run, Dominique Badji and Kelvin Arase have each found the back of the net, while two additional goals have come courtesy of opponent own goals, highlighting Rising’s ability to consistently create dangerous attacking opportunities.
COMEBACK KIDS
Rising has consistently shown its resilience in recent weeks, fighting until the final whistle to earn results. Two of the club’s last three league matches have featured comeback performances, demonstrating the group’s ability to respond under pressure. That trend is reflected in the numbers, with 15 of Rising’s 22 league goals this season coming after halftime. Away from home, six of the club’s eight league goals have been scored in the second half, while eight of its 11 goals across all competitions on the road have come after the break.
“I think it was a good game by us. Unfortunate result, but I think we were really close,” Flores said. “We got into the final third a lot. We just didn’t get it behind the net, but the team looked good. We get past this game and we focus on the next one.”
GOAL-SCORING PLAYS
LAS- THEMI ANTONOGLOU, 2: Long pass from the right side of the field across to the left wing to Antonoglou who hits a left footed cross from outside of the box into the top left area of the net.
PHX- BEN OFEIMU, 42: Left footed cross from Danny Flores from outside of the box turned into a deflection off of the right foot of Ofeimu inside of the six-yard-box going high center.
NOTES
- In all competitions, Rising holds the advantage over Las Vegas 11-5-5
- Phoenix Rising have a record of W0, D4, L5 when conceding the opening goal in the USL Championship this season.
- Rising have scored in their last 3 USL Championship away games.
- Hope Avayevu had the most passes into the final third with 17 and only four unsuccessful.
- Rising are undefeated in their last 3 games in the USL Championship, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 12th April 2026 to 10th May 2026, a run of 4 games.
- Rising are undefeated in their last 3 games in the USL Championship, their last longer unbeaten streak was from 12th April 2026 to 10th May 2026, a run of 4 games.
Phoenix Rising (5-6-6, 21 pts) vs. Las Vegas Lights FC (6-7-3, 21 pts)
Goals by Half 1 0 FT
Phoenix Rising 1 0 1
Las Vegas Lights FC 1 0 1
Scoring Summary:
LAS: ANTONOGLOU, 2
PHX: OFEIMU, 42
Misconduct Summary:
PHX: STUDENHOFFT, (caution); 29
PHX: BADJI, (caution); 84
LAS: POPE, (caution); 86
PHX: Irwin, (caution); 93
Lineups:
PHX: GK Rakovsky, D Biasi (Smith, 70), D Mar Boye, D Scearce, D Flores (Pelayo, 85), M Gomez (Rivera, 85), M Moursou, M Avayevu (Irwin, 90) F BadjI, F Studenhofft (Ambursley, 71), F Dennis
Substitutes Not Used: GK Odunze, M Ping
TOTAL SHOTS: SHOTS: 9; SHOTS ON GOAL: 2; FOULS: 9; OFFSIDES: 0; CORNER KICKS: 5; SAVES: 0
LAS VEGAS LIGHTS: GK Henry, D Antonoglou, D Guillen, D Ofeimu, D Sessock (Pope, 68), M Probo, M Ybarra, M Locker (Mines, 79), M Pinzon (Okyere, 68), F Anderson (Arteaga, 79), F Rodriguez
Substitutes Not Used: GK, Moya, D Jones, M Leal
TOTAL SHOTS: SHOTS: 9; SHOTS ON GOAL: 1; FOULS: 11; OFFSIDES: 2; CORNER KICKS: 6; SAVES: 3
Referee: Atahan Yaya
Assistant Referees: Mateusz Dulski, Karsten Gillwald
Fourth Official: Killian Richardson
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
