The Kickoff: Sunday, Aug. 11
Your roundup of soccer news across Wisconsin and beyond
Top of the box
Devin Boyce fired a free kick from 19 yards out into the upper left corner for his fifth goal of the year in the 69th minute Saturday night to lift Forward Madison FC to a 2-1 victory over the Chattanooga Red Wolves in a USL Jägermeister Cup match watched by a season-high crowd of 4,631 at Breese Stevens Field. Midseason signing Garrett McLaughlin scored his first goal for the Flamingos to level the score in the 20th minute. Forward Madison, which outshot the Red Wolves 17-3, now leads the Central group by two points over Lexington SC with one match left. FMFC hosts rival Union Omaha in their group finale Aug. 29 knowing that a win or a tie in regulation sends them to the cup semifinals. The Flamingos return to USL League One action Wednesday as the first-place Charlotte Independence visit Breese Stevens — Forward Madison is one of three teams one point behind the Independence in a tight battle atop the standings.
Olympics
Rose Lavelle (UW) became the first player who played college soccer in Wisconsin to win an Olympic gold medal in soccer as the U.S. national team got past Brazil 1-0 Saturday in the final in Paris. The Americans have won five of the eight Olympic women’s tournaments — three of those titles included relegating Brazil and the legendary Marta to silver medals. Lavelle, 29, didn’t play in the final after starting the team’s previous five matches in France. Korbin Albert, who also has Wisconsin ties, started in place of Lavelle and set up the lone goal. The 20-year-old Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, who played for the Milwaukee Torrent when she was in high school in Illinois, slotted a through ball that Mallory Swanson ran on to down the left side and finished to the far post in the 57th minute. American Alyssa Naeher was the Woman of Match as she became the first goalkeeper in women’s soccer history to record a clean sheet in both a World Cup final and an Olympic final. Naeher made four saves, including one on a header by Adriana in second-half stoppage time. Watch the highlights on YouTube as NBC doesn’t allow embedding on this site
Professional
Evan Conway (Whitefish Bay/UW-Milwaukee) scored his eighth goal of the season — tied for ninth in the USL Championship — as host North Carolina FC rolled past the Colorado Springs Switchbacks 4-1 on Saturday night. Conway stayed with the play in the 46th minute as Oalex Anderson’s chip over goalkeeper Christian Herrera was cleared off the line by Duke Lacroix, but Conway was alone on the right side and calmly finished with his left foot to make it 2-0.
Center back Grant Stoneman (UW) scored for the first time in more than two years and helped anchor a backline that posted the clean sheet as host Rhode Island FC blanked Hartford Athletic 3-0 in a USL Championship match Saturday night. Stoneman headed in a free kick in the 29th minute for his first goal since Aug. 6, 2022, for the San Diego Loyal to give the first-year side the lead in the first meeting between the regional rivals. Rhode Island is 7-1-2 in its past 10 games.
In Italy, Andrija Novakovich (Muskego) came on in the 72nd minute for his SSC Bari debut and converted his penalty in the shootout, but host Cremonense ousted Bari 5-4 on penalties following a 1-1 draw in a Coppa Italia first-round match Saturday. Bari plays host to Juve Stabia in a Serie B opener next Saturday.
Follow all the players with state ties playing professionally in the U.S. and around the world on our Wisconsin Players in the Pros chart. If we've missed anyone, email us at wisconsinsoccercentral@gmail.com or connect with us on socials.
Amateur
Madison United SC invites all current and former players to join them to celebrate the club’s 50th anniversary with a gathering Sept. 28 at Rennebohm Park in Madison. The start time is to be announced. Madison United originally was the Madison SC second team, but split from the club in 1974 and formed its own club under the leadership of the late Keith Binns, one of the founding members of Madison SC. (Madison SC later changed its name to the Madison 56ers, in honor of the year the club was founded.)
College
Today’s exhibition schedule
Women
Illinois-Chicago vs. UW-Green Bay, 4 p.m.