Forward Madison Scores late to Notch Draw Against Chattanooga

Alvin Jones scored the equalizing goal in the 90+5th minute to gain a point

Forward Madison FC returned home to Breese Stevens Field for a USL League One match against the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. The match kicked off at 7:00 pm CT on Saturday, August 13th. A back and forth close match resulted in a 1-1 draw. The Flamingos’ strong defensive effort along with a late Alvin Jones goal proved to be crucial in helping the Flamingos earn a point at home.

The opening half of Saturday’s match kicked off just as the rain in Madison came to an end. Chattanooga recorded the first corner kick of the game in the 1st minute, but Eric Leonard managed to clear the ball out of the box. In the 11th minute mark, Leonard made a perfectly timed tackle in the box, leading to a Red Wolves corner. Forward Madison logged its first chance of the match in the 14th minute when Alann Torres crossed the ball to Jeremiah Streng, who just missed the net. Chattanooga opened the scoring in the 16th minute as Juan Galindrez applied pressure on Andrew Wheeler-Omiunu causing Wheeler-Omiunu to push the ball wide. Galindrez beat Wheeler-Omiunu to the ball and shot the ball into the open net, giving Chattanooga a 1-0 lead. In the 22nd minute, the Red Wolves starting goalkeeper, Tor Saunders, suffered a non-contact injury and was forced to exit the game. Saunders managed to walk off on his own power, but Chattanooga’s backup keeper, Carlos Avilez, had to sub onto the pitch.

By the 30th minute, Forward Madison began to gain back some confidence on offense. The ‘Mingos recorded a free kick in the 32nd minute which resulted in a cross to Streng, but the striker couldn’t connect with the ball. The Flamingos continued to threaten Chattanooga as the half progressed. In the 37th minute, Rojay Smith drove through the defense and towards the Red Wolves’ box with numbers. Smith shot a slow ball at the lower right corner of the net but Chattanooga’s keeper was able to make the save. With six minutes of stoppage time until the half, Forward Madison ramped up the pressure. At the 45+5th minute mark, Wheeler-Omiunu flashed a cross across the goal, but Streng couldn’t get enough of it. The squads entered the halftime break with Chattanooga ahead 1-0.

Chattanooga began the second half with a double substitution, as Ryley Kraft and Nicolas Cardona subbed in for Ualefi Dos Reis and DJ Benton. In the 51st minute, Raiko Arozarena came up with a punch save as Chattanooga started to threaten on the offensive end. A few minutes after Arozarena’s save, Leonard got assessed a yellow card on a continuation call. At the 60th minute mark, head coach Matt Glaeser made his first substitution of the game, subbing in Justin Sukow for Abdou Mbacke-Thiam. Chattanooga started to gain some momentum by the 65th minute, but luckily for FMFC, Cyrus Rad made an important one-on-one tackle in the box to stop the Red Wolves. A minute later as Chattanooga started to get on the break, Mitch Osmond made a potential goal-saving, sliding interception. By the 73rd minute, Forward Madison turned on the offensive jets and started to log some chances. Jones nearly tapped in a cross from Sukow but his shot went just wide. At the 78th minute, Streng attempted a scissor kick off a corner from Sukow but the shot hit the head of a Chattanooga player and deflected out of the box.

With only ten minutes remaining in the match, Forward Madison applied more and more pressure on Chattanooga. In the 87th minute, the Flamingos recorded a quality chance off a corner as Streng flicked the ball into the box but no ‘Mingos were able to connect with the ball. The referee indicated that there would be seven minutes of stoppage time to decide the match. In the 90+4th minute of stoppage time, Rad crossed the ball to Leonard, who nearly headed the ball into the goal, but Chattanooga’s keeper made an incredible save. Exactly a minute later, Streng crossed the ball across the box to Jones who connected with the pass and scored the equalizing goal for the Flamingos! Thanks to Jones’ goal, Forward Madison managed to escape Saturday’s match with a crucial point.

Following the tie against Chattanooga, Forward Madison hits the road to take on the Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC on Saturday, August 20th at 8:00 pm CT. On the other hand, Chattanooga will head home to battle South Georgia Tormenta on August 20th.

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Major Moments:

1’ Madison kick off
1’ Chattanooga corner
2’ corner headed well clear by Leonard from the driven corner
4’ mistake by the Red Wolves leads to a turnover but Madison cannot find the final pass
6’ whipped in cross claimed by Raiko’s safe hands
7’ Torres’ quickly taken shot outside the box is blocked by the Chattanooga defense
11’ Perfectly timed tackle by Leonard in the box, Chattanooga corner
12’ Corner is taken short and the short takes a deflection, Raiko punches against another player, the ball hits the post and is cleared by Madison for another corner
14’ Free kick on the wing for Madison after a shove in the back
14’ Streng is free in the box from a perfect Torres cross but he cannot find the contact
16’ Another free kick for Madison as the same player breaks up a break away
16’ Yellow Card Chattanooga #18 DJ Benton
17’ Pinball in the Chattanooga area but a Madison player cannot get a clear shot away
17’ Goal Chattanooga #19 Juan Galindrez from out of nowhere… AWO gives away possession and heads the then heads the through ball past Raiko allowing Galindrez to score from the angle with his left
18’ Madison corner but the Chattanooga goalkeeper is down…
22’ The keeper cannot continue and the second keeper is in
22’ 25 Tor Saunders off for 12 Carlos Avilez
23’ Mitch Osmund heads just wide from the corner
25’ Raiko is out well to smother a possible Chattanooga chance
29’ Chattanooga offside
31’ Free kick just inside the half for Madison
32’ Another freekick, this one in a dangerous area
33’ Streng cannot connect on a great cross
37’ Free kick on the wing, again for Forward Madison
37’ Shot from Madison, just outside the box, saved comfortably by the keeper
38’ Good ball from Torres into the box but Smith can’t control it under pressure
41’ Free kick mysteriously given to Madison in midfield
41’ High ball into the box and Abdou Mbacke-Thiam collides with the Chattanooga keeper. Chattanooga gets the free kick but both players stay down.
44’ both players are back on their feet
45’ 6’ minutes are added at the end of the first half
45+3’ Close to equalizing right before the half, Jones cannot quite get the header on target as he’s stretching to reach the cross
45+5’ AWO flashes a cross across goal, Streng can’t get enough on it and it’s cleared just ahead of Jones at the back post. Madison corner, which comes to nothing.

HT: Forward Madison FC 0 vs. 1 Chattanooga Red Wolves SC

Chattanooga Sub at the half – 98 Ryley Kraft in for 8 Ualefi Dos Reis and 4 Nicolas Cardona in for 18 DJ Benton
48’ free kick called on Madison in the midfield
48’ Alvin Jones #16 with the Yellow Card for Madison
49’ Headed over by Chattanooga, goal kick
49’ Chattanooga foul
52’ good save by Raiko from a fierce shot
53’ Good chance but Madison can’t find the through ball
53’ good hands again from Raiko to claim the cross
54 Great header away from Leonard
54’ Yellow Card Madison #3 Eric Leonard
55’ Shot sails over from Chattanooga from over 30 yards out
56’ Madison foul, in central midfield
57’ shot wide from Chattanooga
58’ great play from Gebhard, running at the defence then cutting across the box, he plays it wide to Jones who whips a cross to the back post the Streng cannot get his foot to
60’ Madison Yellow Card #7 Abdou Mbacke-Thiam
61’ Madison sub, 19 Sukow on for 7 Abdou Mbacke-Thiam off
62’ Chattanooga sub, #99 Espinoza in for #13 Ortiz
63’ Chattanooga Yellow Card, #13 Ortiz
65’ Rad takes the ball off the toe of the goalscorer just as he’s about to pull the trigger
66’ Rad again with the crucial tackle, Raiko makes the save from a weak rebona shot
67’ This time it’s Mitch Osmund with a goal saving interception
67’ Corner Madison, cleared at the second attempt
73’ Chattanooga sub, #21 comes on for the injured #6
73’ Jones can’t finish at the back post from the eventual cross
75’ Madison sub, #6 Mele Temguia on for #17 Derek Gebhard
76’ Excellent punch out from Raiko
77’ Free kick Madison, centrefield
78’ Corner, Madison
78’ Scissor kick from Streng is fantastic but blasts into the Chatanooga defenders head at close range… the defender is down for a few minutes
84’ Good clean take from Raiko after the Chatanooga player looked certain to find the target
86’ Madison sub, #5 Christian Dean in for #18 Alann Torres
87’ Corner to Madison…
88’ Streng flicks it on and the defender puts it past his own post, another corner
88’ This one is so close to getting a shot in as it too flashes across the box
89’ Another Madison corner… cleared
89’ Streng controls well and comes inside but drags his shot wide. Goal kick.
90’ Minimum of seven minutes of stoppage time
90+1’ clash of two players by the Chatanooga box, Madison concede the foul
90+3 Madison corner…
90+4 a great move culminates in a fantastic save from the substitute keeper from a bullet header from Eric Leonard
90+5 GOALLLLLLLLLLL! Madison #16 Alvin Jones
90+6 Yellow Card Madison bench
90+8 Chatanooga have the ball in the back of the net but it’s offside!