CARSON, Calif. – Christian Torres’ pair of second-half goals proved the difference as Las Vegas Lights FC extended its undefeated run to three games with a 4-3 victory against the LA Galaxy II on Wednesday night at Dignity Health Sports Park as the visitors overcame a hat trick by Los Dos’ Preston Judd.

The second meeting between the sides opened with a bang as both sides found the net inside the opening 10 minutes. The Galaxy II struck first as Axel Picazo delivered a deep cross from the right that Judd reached at the back post for a looping header that landed just inside the near post in the fourth minute. Las Vegas responded five minutes later as Mohamad Traore played a through-ball for Alvaro Quezada into the left channel that allowed the midfielder to beat the Galaxy II’s high defensive line before delivering a low shot to the right corner to level.

Lights FC then took the lead for the first time in the 13th minute as the side sliced through the middle of the field from its own penalty area, with Bryce Duke delivering a telling pass for Danny Musovski to get in one-on-one with Los Dos goalkeeper Jonathan Klinsmann. Musovski rounded the goalkeeper to his left and stayed on his feet after the challenge to tuck home the ball into the open net.

Both sides had chances to find the net as the first half continued as Las Vegas’ Frank Daroma and LA’s Jorge Hernandez forced saves at either end, but Los Dos got back on level terms four minutes before the break as Judd notched his second. After intercepting a throw-in in the Galaxy II half, Taylor Davila quickly looked upfield and found his forward, who outpaced his defender as the broke forward from the halfway line and then slotted a low finish into the right side of the net.

Hernandez almost put Los Dos back on top seven minutes int the second half as Picazo wove past three defenders and into the right side of the penalty area before finding his teammate for a strong shot that was saved by Lights FC goalkeeper Tomas Romero. Instead, the visitors regained the lead in the 61st minute as Duke cut past one defender in the left side of the penalty area and found Torres for a first-time finish from 10 yards. Torres then added a second two minutes later as he broke from his own half to run onto a through-ball by Quezada as Las Vegas again exploited LA’s high defensive line, with Torres shooting low into the bottom-right corner as he approached the edge of the penalty area.

The Galaxy II hit back four minutes later as Judd completed his hat trick, however, with Jonathan Perez playing a key role. The left winger played a clever give-and go that sent Perez into the left side of the penalty area, giving him space to pick out Judd for a low finish to make it a one-goal game once again. The hosts then pressed for an equalizer, and Judd almost set up Hernandez with 18 minutes to go with a clever layoff after a cross from the right by Picazo that just squeezed wide of the right post.

Judd then hit the crossbar as he went for his fourth tally of the night, a curling shot from the right side of the penalty area catching the woodwork and rebounding to safety, while with five minutes to go Picazo tried his luck from the right side of the area only for the effort to go straight at Romero, who offered no rebound. Torres then almost notched a hat trick of his own for the visitors with a minute to go but was denied as Klinsmann got a hand to his lifted finish that sent the ball wide of the right post, but Las Vegas held on defensively late to claim all three points and reverse the result from the club’s first meeting this season.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Christian Torres, Las Vegas Lights FC – Torres scored twice after coming on as a halftime substitute to send his side to victory, and also completed 9 of 10 passes while finishing with three shots overall

Scoring Summary
LA – Preston Judd (Axel Picazo) 5’
LV – Alvaro Quezada (Mohamed Traore) 9’
LV – Danny Musovski (Bryce Duke) 13’
LA – Preston Judd (Taylor Davila) 41’
LV – Christian Torres (Bryce Duke) 61’
LV – Christian Torres (Alvaro Quezada) 63’
LA – Preston Judd (Jonathan Perez) 67’

Full Box Score