LANSING, MI – In its first exhibition match of the season, Lansing Common FC earned a 2-1 victory over Liboka FC at a windy Eastern Stadium on Sunday, May 3. 

The Robins utilized a total of 25 players in its opening game with three goalkeeper swaps after Vaios Papadoudis started in net. 

“Trying to establish who we are,” head coach Brent Sorg said. “Kicking the rust off. Some of these guys haven’t touched the ball in a few months.”

The match was evenly-paced throughout the first half with strong winds affecting every ball played through the air. Both teams saw opportunities to score, but the Robins struggled to find the back of the net.

“I felt, especially in the first half, a lot of balls were just given away too cheaply,” Sorg said. “We’re trying to make a pass, I use the phrase, make five and 10 dollar passes, not million dollar passes.”

However, an extra five minutes on the clock allowed midfielder Jayson Janofski to capitalize on an open net and get the Robins on the board in the 46th minute.

Lansing rode that momentum into the locker room and held their 1-0 lead into the halftime break, but Liboka made adjustments before returning to the field.

Liboka came out firing and dominated the time of possession at the beginning of the second half. They kept moving the ball inside the Robins final third, pressuring the defense for the opening minutes after the break. 

“To their [Liboka] credit, they put pressure on us in the second half and made it difficult,” Sorg said. “They pressed us a little bit, and we didn’t do a good enough job of solving how to get out.”

As the visitors continued their rally, a lob into the box found its way to the feet of Liboka’s Idrissa Gueye, who threaded a shot through a group of players to even the score at 1-1 in the 62nd minute. 

The Robins regrouped and put the pressure back on Liboka. In the 83rd minute, an incisive pass from midfielder Jack Heald connected with forward Sekou Doumbouya, who capitalized on the opportunity to score his first goal for the club and put Lansing back in front.

Liboka did not have enough time to answer and the Robins held on for the 2-1 victory.

After the game, coach Sorg highlighted areas of improvement, and how he plans to prepare his team heading into their next match.

“We know that we’re nowhere near where we need to be, and that’s a good thing that you can still get that result,” Sorg said. “But, we’ve got work to do.”

The Robins return to Eastern Stadium to take on Ypsilanti Athletic FC on Sunday, May 10, at 4:00 p.m.