Forward Madison Jumps to First Place and Continues Winning Streak on the Road in Georgia

Franchise-record 4-match winning streak powered by Bartman goal

After an exciting win against Lexington SC on Saturday, Forward Madison FC traveled to face 9th-placed South Georgia Tormenta FC on Wednesday, June 28th. FMFC look to continue their three-game win streak on the road with back-to-back away games this week. The match kicked off just after 6:30pm CT.

The first half started with both sides coming out slow and patient, seeming to preserve energy for the 90’ minutes ahead. In the 7th minute, FMFC midfielder Isidro Martinez took a shot with the outside of his foot, but it missed wide. The tempo of the game died down until the 19th minute when FMFC had a quick counter attack opportunity that led to forward Jayden Onen being one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but eventually called offsides. Shortly after, Forward Madison opened the scoring. Stephen Payne served a ball into the box from the right flank, finding Nazeem Bartman’s feet. Bartman cut a defender and fired the ball into the back of the net in the 24th minute to put FMFC ahead 1-0. It was a game-changing moment that seemed to relax the ‘Mingos and keep them on top for the remainder of the first half.

After the second half kicked off, the Flamingos played defensive and possession-based soccer. A few fouls were committed on both sides, but the second half was relatively calm. FMFC and Tormenta made a few substitutions to bring new energy, and, for a while, it seemed as though South Georgia was going to break down the FMFC backline. In the 73rd minute, South Georgia had a significant opportunity from outside the box; however, goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann came up with a massive save to keep Forward Madison in the lead. Following six minutes of extra time, the match finished 1-0 in favor of Forward Madison, growing their win streak to a club record four matches. The win also saw the Flamingos go into 1st place in the USL League One standings.

“I’m pleased with the determination and grit that we showed tonight,” FMFC Head Coach Matt Glaeser said. “We scored a really nice goal in the first half, it embodied the way that we attack. We worked our socks off tonight, lots of running lots of sacrifice.”

“Nazeem [Bartman] has 2 in 2 and been a threat going forward,” Glaeser said. “He’s been putting in the work defensively as well, we look forward to him continuing to put in the work that’s needed to get results for this team.”

“It’s a happy feeling with the group, but a motivating one as well,” FMFC captain Mitch Osmond said. “Now the objective is to stay at the top of the table. We broke the club record for consecutive wins tonight, but we have a feeling of motivation of keeping going and not stop here.”

“It was a good win tonight, considering the tough travel of this trip,” FMFC midfielder Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu said. “We’re happy to get three points tonight, but now we have to look to Saturday. We’re continuing to build off of the things we’ve been working on all year, which is a good sign for this group.”

“It’s a big win on the road after a tough travel day, it’s a big win for the team,” FMFC goalscorer Nazeem Bartman said. “For the guys that were here last year, we know what went wrong. We’re determined to make sure the same mistakes aren’t made this year. We know not to get too high for wins, not too low for loses. We try to enjoy the results we’ve been getting, because we’ve been working so hard for them. The mentality for every single player is on the same page. We’re all bought into the coaching staff and the system.”

Next up, Forward Madison stays south to play Greenville Triumph on Saturday, July 1st, at 6pm CT. Catch the match with other FMFC fans at the free Watch Party in the Forward Club. Doors open at 5pm and drinks will be available to purchase. You can RSVP here. The next FMFC home match is on Saturday, July 8th at 7pm CT. Tickets for the match can be purchased here.

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Forward Madison FC Lineup:

#55 Schipmann

#22 Payne

#4 Osmond C

#5 Mehl

#16 Crull

#7 Martinez

#10 Onen

#17 Gebhard

#24 Bartman

#9 Chaney

Substitutes: #56 Sanchez, #2 Screen, #12 Brotherton, #8 Conerty, #28 Wheeler-Omiunu, #29 Kigeya, #18 Jno-Baptiste

Head Coach: Matt Glaeser

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South Georgia Tormenta FC Lineup:

#0 Bush

#12 Nembhard

#23 Kilwien

#13 Knutson

#14 Akoto

#6 Murphy Jr.

#21 Heckenberg

#7 Akale

#8 Fonseca

#27 Bosua

#9 Sterling C

Substitutes: Jara, Dengler, Mason, Otieno, Adjei, Amo, Khoury

Head Coach: Ian Cameron

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Major Match Moments:

1st Half

2’ TRM corner kick
3’ TRM foul
7’ FMFC major opportunity #7 Martinez
19’ FMFC breakaway opportunity called offsides #10 Onen
24’ FMFC goal #24 Bartman
26’ TRM major opportunity
45’ TRM corner kick
4 +1 TRM foul
45+2 TRM yellow card #14 Akoto
45+5 TRM corner kick
45+6 FMFC yellow card Head Coach Matt Gleaser

Half-Time Score: FMFC 1 – 0 TRM

2nd Half

47’ TRM foul
52’ TRM foul
53’ TRM foul
54’ FMFC corner
55’ FMFC yellow card #10 Onen
60’ TRM major opportunity #27 Bosua
61’ FMFC foul #24 Bartman
62’ TRM substitution #5 Otieno in for #6 Murphy Jr.
62’ TRM substitution #45 Adjei in for #27 Bosua
64’ TRM foul
68’ TRM corner kick
69’ FMFC foul
70’ FMFC substitution #2 Screen and #28 Wheeler-Omiunu in for #24 Bartman and #17 Gebhard
73’ Major Save #55 Schipmann
75’ TRM substitution #11 Khouri in for #21 Heckenberg
77’ FMFC major opportunity #9 Chaney
79’ TRM foul
81’ TRM substitution #17 Amo in for #14 Akoto
81’ FMFC #8 Conerty in for #23 Mesias
82’ TRM major opportunity
84’ FMFC foul
86’ FMFC substitution #18 Jno-Baptiste in for #10 Onen
90’ FMFC foul
90+1 TRM foul
90+2 FMFC foul
90+3 FMFC foul
90+4 FMFC major opportunity
90+6 TRM yellow card #23 Kilwien