June 20, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1)
Forward Madison FC News Release
Goals by Chaney and Prentice keep the ‘Mingos unbeaten in USL League One regular season play.
The storms passed on a beautiful night in Madison, just in time for the first matchup of the season between Union Omaha and Forward Madison. Both sides started physically, looking to make a quick start.
Forward had their first real chance on goal in the 16th minute, when Derek Gebhard found a wide-open Christian Chaney running into the box. Chaney took a one-touch shot, and hit it wide of the frames, keeping the game scoreless.
The battle continued for both teams in the first half, but Forward’s defense remained unfazed as they had the whole season. In the 36th minute, Union Omaha had a chance off of a corner kick when Luca Mastrantonio went up for a header and it ricocheted off the crossbar to keep Forward in the game.
Shortly after, Forward was awarded a penalty kick after the referee called a handball in the box. Chaney stepped up for the ‘Mingos and buried it into the bottom right corner to give his squad the lead against the first-ranked team. The score would be 1-0 heading into halftime.
In the second half, Union Omaha made two offensive substitutions to try to flip momentum in their favor. The Forward defense stayed compact and tough, but Omaha continued to press in the final third. In the 62nd minute, FMFC goalkeeper, Bernd Schipmann, made an incredible on-the-line save off of a Steevan Dos Santos header to keep the ‘Mingos in the lead.
A few substitutions came in for both sides, and the home squad saw a surge of urgency from Devin Boyce and Wolfgang Prentice. In the fifth minute of stoppage time, Prentice picked up a loose ball in the box and fired a shot past the Omaha goalkeeper to double the lead, 2-0 before the final whistle.
Forward remains the only unbeaten team in the League, and In the last six games, Forward has only conceded one goal.
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