Lopez-Espin Honored to Score First Fort Lauderdale CF Goal

By Inter Miami CF

July 28^th, 2020

The night of Saturday, July 25, marked a special occasion for Fort Lauderdale CF and Inter Miami CF Stadium. In the team’s second match of the 2020 USL League One season, Miami-native striker Ricky Lopez-Espin scored Fort Lauderdale CF’s first-ever goal, also the first goal scored by a home team at the Club’s new stadium.

It was the 8th minute of play when it all happened. Academy graduate and center back Ian Fray pushed up to midfield and kickstarted a move with an inch-perfect ball to free up space for right back Brian Rosales down the right wing of the pitch.

Lopez-Espin Honored to Score First Fort Lauderdale CF Goal

“Ian [Fray] played a great ball to Brian [Rosales]. Based on our training sessions I knew Brian [Rosales] would put a great ball in, so I tried to beat my defender,” detailed Lopez-Espin about the beginning of the play that led to the historic goal.

The 6’3 striker did exactly that. After witnessing his teammates pass to open up the play down the wing, Lopez-Espin set-off on a hard sprint from the top of the box to beat his defender and culminate the play with a left-footed finish.

“I did the easy part, Brian [Rosales] put it on a platter and I just kicked it in. It was a great goal. We do it in training all the time, so thankfully it came off in the game.”

Just eight minutes into its second match, Fort Lauderdale CF scored its first goal as part of the team’s historic inaugural season and the first-ever goal scored by a home team at Inter Miami CF Stadium. For Lopez-Espin, it’s one of those memorable moments he’ll cherish for the remainder of his life.

“I was looking forward to scoring the first goal,” he stated. “It’s an honor. It’s something you dream about in professional sports. You don’t get to be the first in anything often, so being the first player from the home team to score at Inter Miami CF Stadium, I can’t even put it into words. Being from Miami, it’s amazing and I’m super happy. I’m thankful for my teammates and my coaches."

Lopez-Espin has led the line for Fort Lauderdale CF in its first two USL League One matches to date, being selected as a starter for both games, enjoying a total of 146 minutes on the pitch, recording three shots and scoring the team’s historic first goal.

Now, heading into Fort Lauderdale CF’s third USL League One matchup this weekend, Lopez-Espin looks forward to the team continuing to work on its offensive firepower.

“The first one is always the hardest, as they say, so if it’s not me, it’s going to be someone else who’s going to keep the ball rolling. I think this weekend we are going to get the three points and score more goals.”

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