August 10, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Forward Madison FC News Release
Forward Madison FC concluded its two-game road trip on Wednesday, August 10th with a match against North Carolina FC at WakeMed Soccer Park. The ‘Mingos 19th USL League One match of the season was supposed to kick off at 6:00 pm CT but a weather delay forced the match to start at 6:45 pm. The match resulted in a last-second goal from NCFC, giving the home team a 2-1 win over Forward Madison. Abdou Mbacke-Thiam provided the singular goal for the Flamingos and Eric Leonard put on a stellar defensive performance, but it just wasn’t enough for the ‘Mingos.
Both squads began the match slowly with neither team able to get much offense going in the first ten minutes. An early Eric Leonard yellow card and a FMFC foul gave North Carolina a couple of free kicks right outside Forward Madison’s box. Raiko Arozarena made the first save of the match in the 11th minute when North Carolina recorded a shot off the free kick. North Carolina nearly scored the first goal of the match in the 14th minute when a good through ball gave Garrett McLaughlin a breakaway. Luckily for FMFC, Eric Leonard managed to speed back on defense and box out the NCFC striker, eventually forcing a clearance for the Pink and Blue.
In the 24th minute, a perfectly placed Forward Madison through ball led to a quick breakaway for Jeremiah Streng. Streng shot a low shot at the NCFC keeper which was saved and deflected right back to Abdou Mbacke-Thiam who fired a rocket of a shot into the back of the net. Thanks to the Senegalese striker, Forward Madison grabbed an early 1-0 lead. The goal pumped lots of momentum into the squad as the Flamingos controlled possession for a while after scoring. At the 42nd minute mark, North Carolina started to make its presence felt on the offensive end. Raiko Arozarena showed off his athleticism and silenced the NCFC faithful when he came up with a huge jumping, catch save off the home team’s corner kick in the 43rd minute. The first half concluded as Forward Madison entered the halftime break winning 1-0.
Unfortunately for the Pink and Blue, the second half began poorly. A foul by Mitch Osmond in the 46th minute led to a penalty kick for NCFC. Garrett McLaughlin managed to score his penalty kick in the 47th minute to even up the score at 1-1. An injury to Mitch Osmond in the 58th minute forced head coach Matt Glaeser to sub in Mele Temguia. A few more injuries occured over the next…