LAS VEGAS, NV - Hard work pays off. The first regular season win of the Eric Wynalda era in Lights FC arrived Saturday night at Cashman Field with his team defeating Real Monarchs SLC 1-0. A packed Cashman Field hosted 9,102 fans for the first ever Salute to the Vegas Golden Knights Game, where Lights FC donned VGK inspired jerseys.

Patience was something preached in team practices all week long as Las Vegas knew Real Monarchs arrived to the match with the best defensive team in USL Championship, which hadn't allowed a goal in their last 189 minutes of play.

In the first half, Lights FC was clinical in the final third by forcing Real Monarchs goalkeeper David Ochoa to save his goal in 4 shots targeted his way. In total, Las Vegas struck the ball 9 times in the first 45 minutes of play, but the only time they put the ball in the back of the net it was called off by the referee as he indicated the ball was out of the field before Irvin Parra's cross found Alex Harlley in the box for a header that made the fans in Cashman Field celebrate until they saw the referee blow the whistle and invalidate the score.

That formula though would prove to be effective as only 4 minutes into the second half Parra executed a corner kick to perfection, finding Harlley in the 6-yard box who buried it past Ochoa to give Lights FC their first lead in the 2019 campaign in what ended up being the game-winning goal for Vegas.

"Normal circumstances, I go for the second goal. But because we're sitting at a spot where we needed the points, I shut it down at the end and we put enough bodies behind the ball and it worked to get out of there 1-0", said Lights FC manager Eric Wynalda after he conceded the possession of the ball to the visiting side who tried to tie the game, but Las Vegas' back line was solid with Thomas Olsen leading the charge and center-backs Javan Torre and Gabe Robinson clearing high crosses by Real Monarchs.