Forward Madison FC Win Fifth Game In A Row, Longest Streak In Club History
Three goals in the first twenty minutes of the match secure FMFC’s 4-1 win over Lexington SC
Lineup Notes
MAD: #1 Schipmann, #4 Osmond, #5 Mehl, #8 Boyce, #9 Chaney (81’ Galindrez), #10 Mesias (88’ Murphy Jr.), #16 Crull, #17 Gebhard (76’ Dieye), #21 Villalobos, #22 Payne (76’ Sousa), #24 Bartman (88’ Prentice)
Subs not used: Sanchez, Chilaka
LEX: #3 Ackon, #5 Fox (62’Robertson), #6 Caputo, #10 Onen (90+3’ Patti), #11 Cerritos (72’ Cano), #12 Corrales, #13 Knight, #14 Balogun (62’ Brown), #21 Lue Young, #25 Mane (45’ Uche), #32 Diouf
Subs not used: Chica, Campuzano
Match Action
The first half had barely begun at Breese Stevens Field, and Forward Madison was ready to prove themselves at home. In the fourth minute of the match, midfielder Derek Gebhard found himself in behind the Lexington backline. He took one look and placed the ball across the box to Christian Chaney. Despite being in between two defenders, Chaney found the back of the net to put the ‘Gos up early once again.
Forward was not content with just one, and a few minutes later, they scored their second. Midfielder Aiden Mesias picked up the deflection from a Jacob Crull cross and snuck it past the Lexington goalkeeper to double the lead, 2-0.
It wasn’t over yet for the home squad. In the 20th minute, Timmy Mehl stepped up and intercepted an attacking sequence from Lexington. Building into the final third, Mehl played it to Devin Boyce, who found Chaney. Chaney took one touch and finished the ball to put his squad up three in the first 20 minutes of the game.
The scoreline would stay 3-0 in favor of Forward Madison, heading into halftime.
Forward Madison shifted to a more defensive game in the second half, comfortable with a three-goal lead. However, in the 56th minute, Lexington was awarded a penalty kick after a challenge with defender Mitch Osmond. Khalid Balogun stepped up for Lexington and slotted his shot past goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann to put his team on the board, 3-1.
As the half went on, both sides made a few substitutions, but the momentum of the match slowed down. The officials indicated eight minutes of stoppage time, and shortly after Forward Madison put away their fourth goal. Substitution Juan Galindrez dribbled towards the end line and crossed the ball to another ‘Mingo substitution, John Murphy Jr. who put away his second goal of the season and sealed the win for the home team.
The match ended 4-1 in favor of Forward Madison. This is the team’s fifth straight win, the most consecutive wins in a season for the club.
Goal Summary
1-0 MAD – Chaney (4’)
2-0 MAD – Mesias (9’)
3-0 MAD – Chaney (20’)
3-1 LEX – Balogun (56’)
4-1 MAD – Murphy Jr. (90+2’)
Disciplinary Summary
Yellow, LEX – Diouf (26’)
Yellow, LEX – Caputo (31’)
Yellow, LEX – Balogun (45+4’)
Yellow, MAD – Mehl (50’)
Yellow, LEX – Ackon (59’)
Yellow, LEX – bench (79’)
Yellow, MAD – Schipmann (84’)
Post Match Reaction
“I think they’re playing with a lot of belief right now and a lot of confidence,” said Head Coach Matt Glaeser. “That’s what wins can do. We have a good team, and when we can all be going in the same direction and bought into executing the game plan and believing in each other, I think we can accomplish something.”
“Everyone just came together and pretty much decided that we’re all one group,” said midfielder John Murphy Jr. “Everyone’s gotta be ready. Everyone’s got to play different roles. Everyone’s got to buy in what the coaches are telling us.”
“We can’t let up, you know?” said forward Christian Chaney. “We have to keep fighting for each other and have the eagerness to win. It doesn’t matter what happens, we’re still going to win the game.”
Next Match
Next up, FMFC heads out to East Ridge, Tennessee to play Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at CHI Memorial Stadium on Saturday, June 8th. They’ll play the Red Wolves in the fourth Jägermeister Cup match, and third on the road. Catch the game on ESPN+ or Channel 3000 at 6:30pm CT.
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