Forward Madison Remain In The Hunt For First Place After Win At Home
Two weather delays and two goals give Madison the victory over Spokane Velocity
Lineup Notes
MAD: #1 Schipmann, #4 Osmond, #5 Mehl (67’ Chilaka), #6 Murphy Jr., #7 Prentice (78’ Sousa), #8 Boyce, #16 Crull, #17 Gebhard (67’ McLaughlin), #19 Galindrez (78’ Dieye), #21 Villalobos (87’ Cichero), #22 Payne
Subs not used: Sanchez, Davila
SPK: #2 Martin, #5 Lage, #6 Fernandez, #9 Dolling (67’ Pelaez), #10 Gil (6’ Akale), #12 Miller, #15 Jome, #18 Waldeck (67’ Smith), #24 Gonzalez (87’ Merrill), #31 Thompson, #77 Lewis (87’ Denton)
Subs not used: #1 Merancio
Match Action
After an hour of storms in Madison, Forward fans filed in to watch the ‘Mingos face Spokane Velocity for the first time at Breese Stevens Field. Within a few minutes to the start of the match, Spokane made an early substitution to the leading goal scorer, Luis Gil, due to injury.
In the 16th minute, the home squad progressed down the field, swinging the ball from the left side to the middle, finding John Murphy Jr. beyond the 18-yard box. Murphy Jr. took a touch and hit a long strike into the back of the net. The ‘Mingos went up 1-0 early in the first half.
Spokane had a few opportunities in the final third, but ultimately, Forward’s defense remained steadfast. With a few minutes left of the first half, the ‘Mingos had two close looks on goal from Derek Gebhard and Wolfgang Prentice; however, both teams would go into the locker room, with Forward up 1-0 at the half.
The home team looked to extend their lead in the second half. In the 52nd minute, Devin Boyce had a breakaway against Spokane’s defense, but right as he wound up to take his shot, the ball was knocked away from him to keep the game within one.
After a long, second weather delay, both teams returned to the field ready to finish the match. Boyce had a close look on frame immediately after the break, and the ‘Mingos picked up exactly where they left off. In the 59th minute, Spokane player, Masango Akale was awarded a red card, leaving his team with ten players on the field for the remainder of the game.
In the 67th minute, Murphy Jr. played a ball over the top to Derek Gebhard, who cut it past the defender and blasted a ball past the Spokane keeper to double the home team’s lead, 2-0.
As the game came to a close, Forward had a few more opportunities on goal, but after a few minutes of stoppage time, the match ended in favor of the home squad, 2-0. Forward Madison is currently on an eight game unbeaten streak.
Goal Summary
1-0 MAD – Murphy Jr. (16’)
2-0 MAD – Gebhard (67’)
Disciplinary Summary
Yellow, SPK – Dolling (42’)
Yellow, MAD – Mehl (45+2’)
Yellow, MAD – Prentice (53’)
Red, SPK – Akale (59’)
Yellow, SPK – Martin (61’)
Yellow, SPK – Lage (75’)
Yellow, MAD – Cichero (90+1’)
Post Match Reaction
Post Match Reaction
“I didn’t realize how far I was, I’ve hit a couple ones similar to that in practice, and the guys have been giving me the confidence to take those opportunities in games” Said Midfielder, John Murphy Jr. “We feel great, we are going game by game right now. One game at a time, the boys are buzzing at this moment and we hope to keep going”.
“I thought we started the game pretty well, then had the weather delay, sat in the locker room for a couple hours, turned the switches on, and got the engines revved up again, and ended up coming back from that pretty strong to. Overall just really proud of the guys for being able to do that”, Said Head Coach, Matt Glaser. “We’ve put ourselves in the best possible situation up to this point. The guys have done well, and we’ve responded in difficult moments, and shown we can win big games. Now it’s that time of the year to see what we’re made of. We’re excited and we’ll give it our best shot”.
“The team with the stronger mentality was going to walk away with 3 points. From starting late, then the delay, it was all up to the mentality, and I’m really proud of the guys for coming out and having that mentality and walking away with the 3”, Said Forward Derek Gebhard. “We’ve got to rest up, do what we’ve been doing, have a good week of training, and keep the mentality that we have going, and we’ll be okay”.
Next Match
Next up, FMFC plays in the USL Jägermeister Cup Final on Saturday, September 28th at Northern Colorado. This is the club’s first appearance in a finals match as the boys hunt for the Cup. Watch the game on ESPN+ or in the Forward Club for the FMFC Watch Party. Doors open at 7pm and kickoff is at 8pm CT.
