Rhode Island FC cruised to a 1–3 victory at Lexington SC on Saturday, with goals from Aldair Sanchez (22'), Jojea Kwizera (27'), and Leonardo Afonso (68') sealing three points on the road. Jacob Greene pulled one back late for the hosts, but it was little more than a consolation.
Rhode Island took control midway through the first half. Sanchez opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, finishing off a pass from Agustín Rodríguez to give the visitors the lead. Lexington barely had time to regroup. Five minutes later, Kwizera doubled the advantage, converting from a J.J. Williams delivery to make it 2–0. The quick-fire combination left Lexington chasing the game before the half-hour mark, and they went into the break with plenty of work to do.
The second half brought more frustration for the home side. Kendall Burks picked up a yellow card in the 63rd minute, and any hope of a comeback took another hit when Afonso stretched Rhode Island's lead to three in the 68th minute, finishing a move started by Noah Fuson.
Greene's 85th-minute strike gave Lexington something to show for their efforts, but the deficit was too deep. Arturo Ordoñez was booked in stoppage time as tempers flared in the closing moments.
Rhode Island's dominant away performance gives them valuable early-season momentum in the USL Championship, while Lexington will need to find answers quickly after a defeat that exposed defensive vulnerabilities across the full 90 minutes.
USL Championship