Hodges Stadium | Jacksonville, Fla. — Sep. 5, 2026
The Sporting JAX men’s team won a thrilling match against Lexington SC, 3-2, on Saturday night after grabbing the lead in the 94th minute on a goal headed by forward Ahmad Al-Qaq.
Sadlier’s Strong Start
It didn’t take long for the Sporting JAX attack to get going on Saturday, and it culminated in a go-ahead goal for the home team in the 19th minute. Sporting JAX defender Edgardo Rito intercepted a Lexington pass, later firing a shot that was denied by the goalkeeper. Midfielder Jean Mota was able to corral the rebound, passing it to midfielder Kieran Sadlier, who put it away to give his squad an early lead.
This marks Sadlier’s 10th goal of the season, the seventh most in the USL Championship. It is also the second-consecutive week in which he has scored, following a goal last week against Brooklyn FC.
Emil’s Equalizer
Lexington charged back in the second half, taking the lead in the 84th minute. It was late, but Sporting JAX was just heating up. Forward Emil Jääskeläinen provided the spark that the squad needed when he navigated through the box, finding a window to score through, leveling the match in the 88th minute.
“It gave us the momentum then to get the winner,” Jääskeläinen said. “I thought we dug deep; we’ve dug deep a few times this season and it paid off in the end.”
Ahmad’s Incredible Winner
For the moment, Sporting JAX had salvaged a point, but the squad wanted more. As the clock ticked upward in stoppage time, they sought the moment to strike. This arrived in the 94th minute when Jääskeläinen and forward Adam Luckhurst worked the ball up the pitch. Luckhurst sent a cross into the box, where Al-Qaq soared to make contact, heading the ball into the net.
“The last 10 minutes of that game were hectic,” Al-Qaq said. “I think it shows our mental resilience, though, which is a really good building block to build on. Excited to get the goal.”
Celebration ensued as Hodges Stadium went into an all-out frenzy. Sporting JAX quickly had to regroup and maintain composure for the completion of the match, but ultimately held off Lexington to win, 3-2.
“It’s not good for my heart, to be honest with these types of games,” Sporting JAX Head Coach Liam Fox quipped following the dramatic finish. “But the character the players showed, the “never say die” attitude… To come out on top and the way that we did it – the last kick of the game, subs having a good impact – it was a real team effort tonight.”
Looking Ahead
Saturday’s ending served as a great moment for the team, something that Fox wants to turn into continued momentum in the closing months of the season.
“That’s the next challenge for us because we consistently want to be a team that wins, but we have to make sure that every week we are committed to that, and make sure we train properly, make sure we live our lives properly and also make sure that we perform in the 90 minutes under pressure,” Fox said. “Tonight we did that, so we’ll be hoping for more of that as we move forward.
Sporting JAX has a great opportunity to do this, as they stay at home for their next match on Saturday, September 12, when they face Rhode Island FC at 7 p.m. Fans looking to attend can purchase tickets by clicking here.
