Forward Madison Finish With Three Points At Home Against Lexington SC
A late goal by Wolfgang Prentice puts Forward in first place in their Jägermeister Cup group standings
Lineup Notes
MAD: #1 Schipmann, #2 Chilaka, #4 Osmond, #8 Boyce (73’ Prentice), #9 Chaney, #10 Mesias, #16 Crull, #17 Gebhard (74’ Dieye), #19 Galindrez (63’ McLaughlin), #21 Villalobos, #22 Payne (73’ Sousa)
Subs not used: Sanchez, Mehl, Murphy Jr.
LEX: #5 Fox, #6 Caputo (81’ Cerritos) #8 Yankam, #9 Liadi (90+3’ Cano), #12 Corrales, #13 Knight, #16 Uche, #21 Young, #32 Diouf, #44 Mendez, #77 Brown (72’ Lancaster)
Subs not used: Jackson, Patti, Campuzano, Mane
Match Action
It was a sunny night in Madison as the ‘Mingos took on Lexington SC in the sixth round of the Jägermeister Cup. Both sides began more conservatively, looking to build possession. In the ninth minute, Forward had the first look on goal. Devin Boyce stepped up to take the corner and curled a back post cross to Michael Chilaka, who headed it just wide of the net.
Shortly after, FMFC had another opportunity to capitalize. In the 13th minute, striker, Juan Galindrez, found the ball on top of the 18-yard box and dribbled through a few Lexington defenders, rifling a shot wide.
Lexington, who was relatively quiet initially, had their first look on goal in the 19th minute. Lexington pressed Forward Madison, intercepting the ball and giving it to Nico Brown. Brown outran a few ‘Mingos players and took a quick shot, but it flew over the crossbar.
Toward the end of the first half, Forward created multiple opportunities in front of the goal, but both teams went into the locker room, tied 0-0.
Neither side made a substitution to start the second half, staying confident in their starting eleven to break the 0-0 scoreline. Right from the whistle, Forward Madison was determined and in the 46th minute, Christian Chaney slotted a through ball to Derek Gebhard, who just missed the goal wide. A few minutes later, Galindrez had a shot on goal, forcing Lexington’s keeper, Amal Knight, to make a diving save.
In the 56th minute, FMFC goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann made an acrobatic save to prevent Alassane Diouf from scoring outside the 18-yard box.
Forward Madison made a handful of offensive substitutions to change the momentum of the game. Four minutes after stepping onto the field, Wolfgang Prentice scored the first goal of the night for the home squad. Mitch Osmond played a long ball over the top of Lexington’s backline to Prentice, who used his head to control the pass and struck the ball off the bounce and into the back of the net. The ‘Gos were up 1-0 in the 77th minute.
After seven minutes of stoppage time, Forward held onto the lead to give them their eighth clean sheet of the season and move them to first place in the Group 2 standings of the Jägermeister Cup.
Goal Summary
1-0 MAD – Prentice (77’)
Disciplinary Summary
Yellow, LEX – Uche (16’)
Yellow, MAD – bench (88’)
Yellow, MAD – Prentice (90+3’)
Yellow, MAD – Chaney (90+5’)
Post Match Reaction
“The toughest thing to do is score goals, and you see a lot of one-goal games in our League,” said Head Coach Matt Glaeser. “We want to score more consistently, of course, but I was really pleased with our determination, to stick with the plan, to keep fighting, keep creating.”
“Even up a goal or two, the pressure is always the same,” said Bernd Schipmann. “I think this game shows the maturity of the team, to be patient, even when it’s 0-0. It was a good performance overall.”
“Even the best teams sometimes lose and don’t have the results go their way,” said Wolfgang Prentice. “It’s always about how you react, and it’s a long season. It’s always a good thing to bounce back and not give up on our principles and continue to believe in what we’re practicing every week.”
Next Match
Next up, FMFC continues their home streak on Wednesday, July 24th at 7pm CT as they take on Central Valley Fuego FC. This match was originally scheduled for July 13th but was postponed due to weather conditions. Fans can purchase tickets here, which will also include access to the Forward Futures versus Chicago House AC match at 4pm.
