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courtesy Forward Madison FC

Forward Madison FC players celebrate.

Forward Madison FC players celebrate.

media release: It was one of the biggest home games in club history for Forward Madison, as they looked to advance to the knockout round of the Jägermeister Cup. Before fans could find their seats, Forward Madison was on the scoresheet. Defender Timmy Mehl carried the ball forward toward the 18-yard box and played the ball out left to Wolfgang Prentice. Prentice took one touch and buried the ball into the back post, putting the ‘Gos up 1-0 in the first two minutes. 

Forward was fueled from the early goal, and continued to press Omaha in their back third. In the 23rd minute, Devin Boyce tracked the ball across Omaha’s backline and forced the defender, Marco Milanese, to pass the ball back to his goalkeeper. However, the lack of communication caused Union Omaha to score an own goal, putting the home team up two. 

A few minutes later, Omaha scored one of their own. From the right, Dion Acoff crossed the ball into the middle of the box, past Bernd Schipmann, finding the foot of Zeiko Lewis, who slotted it in for an easy tap-in. The score at half would be 2-1, ‘Mingos still leading. 

In the second half, Forward Madison subbed on striker Garrett McLaughlin, hoping to add more offensive pressure to the attack. Within a few minutes of stepping on the field, McLaughlin broke free and ripped a shot off the crossbar, missing the net by inches. Not long after, Christian Chaney had a near goal, as his header floated just wide of the post in the 54th minute.

Omaha continued to press Forward’s backline, and while the home team was playing solid defense, the Owls finally broke through. Ryen Jiba played a soaring ball into the box and substitution Pedro Dolabella tapped the ball into the back of the net to tie the game at two. A few minutes later, Omaha found the back of the net once again, this time with a flying finish from Steevan Dos Santos. The Owls were up 3-2 within minutes. 

As the second half went on, the home team began running out of time to advance to the Jägermeister Cup knockout round. However, in the 85th minute, Jimmie Villalobos played a long ball to Chaney, who cut his defender and shot the ball past the Omaha goalkeeper, scoring the equalizer.

After regulation, the match was 3-3 and the game went into a penalty kick shootout. After five rounds, Forward Madison defeated Omaha in the shootout, 5-4. They will advance in the Jägermeister Cup, playing the first-ever knockout round hosted at Breese Stevens Field, on Wednesday, September 11th at 6pm CT.