August 15th, 2018 (Irvine, Calif.) - In the first regular season meeting between Orange County SC and Las Vegas Lights FC, it was the Southern California side securing all three points in a 3-1 win.

Early on, physicality was the name of the game with six total fouls whistled in the first seven minutes of action. The visitors surprised the mid-week crowd at Championship Soccer Stadium when they opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Lights FC winger Matt Thomas got on the end of a cross and his header clanked off the crossbar; he was able to follow up his own shot with a second header that beat Orange County goalkeeper Andre Rawls.

Orange County nearly equalized in the 24th minute, but Orange County defender Jos Hooiveld’s header flew over the bar. Two minutes later, forward Thomas Enevoldsen would bring the score level for Orange County. Michael Seaton found his attacking partner running down the right wing, and Enevoldsen beat Lights FC's Ricardo Ferrino with a collected finish. The goal was Enevoldsen’s 14th of the season, putting him alone at the top of the USL’s Golden Boot race.

Enevoldsen would repay the favor shortly after, finding Seaton in the area for the club’s second goal of the night. Hooiveld would get a chance to extend the lead, but his header was stopped at point blank range by Ferrino. Orange County held the edge in possession, shots on target, and on the scoreboard at the break.

Things got interesting ten minutes into the second half. Andre Rawls accidentally collected the ball with his hands outside of his penalty area on a dangerous opportunity for Las Vegas. He was shown a straight red card for denying the scoring chance. Mark Segbers was subbed off in order to bring on a replacement goalkeeper, Casey Beyers.

Down to ten men, Orange County would actually double their lead later in the half. Running down the middle of the pitch, Enevoldsen found Seaton who used his pace to beat the Lights FC defenders and tapped in his second goal of the night.

With Las Vegas sending numbers forward, the home side did a great job of absorbing the pressure and keeping the scoreline at 3-1. Orange County won their third straight match and their 14th of the season. Their win total and 47 points equal their franchise-best from back in 2015. The 47 points also bring them into a tie on points with Real Monarchs SLC atop the Western Conference table.

Player Highlights

• Enevoldsen leads the USL with 14 goals this season.
• Seaton has four goals and two assists over the club's last two matches.
• Aodhan Quinn had 81 touches in the match, which is 15 more than any other player on the pitch.