Wild 3-3 Result vs. Madison Aids Both Teams' Cup Causes
August 30, 2024 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release
Madison, Wisc. - There's a typical pattern to many of these derbies. Hard-fought, but also cagey. Prone to outbursts of brilliance as much as stretches of tepid, simmering action, less throwing haymakers than speculative jabs.
Going into August, this matchup has seen an average of 1.85 goals a match, with no team ever exceeding two. The 2-2 draw earlier this month was, by these standards, near-lunacy.
Last night's madcap 3-3 draw, then, was something else entirely.
Head Coach Dominic Casciato, predictably, had a lot to say in the aftermath of this see-sawing epic. "Disappointing not to hold on for the win tonight, but what a performance from the guys! I know we gave away two soft goals at the beginning of the game, which obviously you can't do against any team, especially a team like Madison. But the way we responded after that was unbelievable.
"I think it's a really good sign now going into the last stretch of the season in terms of what we can do and how we're going to be playing, how we're going to be performing, and how we're going to be winning games."
Perhaps seeing the 'Mingos start all four former Búhos on their roster was the first hint that this would be a helter-skelter evening, but there was hardly any time to process that before the Madison outfit got themselves on the board.
A giveaway on the left flank led to Madison breaking forward just 80 seconds in, with Timmy Mehl driving into the center of the pitch. To his left, Wolfgang Prentice darted unmarked into the box. Union Omaha couldn't close him down in time to keep the Oakland Roots loanee from slotting a wormburner into the far corner practically before Rashid Nuhu could even sprawl out for it.
The Owls opened the match looking apprehensive on both sides of the ball. Madison's direct play often yielded unconvincing clearances and better chances for the home side, while their pressing gave every other pass an element of disquietude.
Both of these came to pass in the 23rd minute. A typical ball over the top by Forward Madison seemed to land in a Bermuda Triangle where nobody knew whose job it was to clean it up. With former Owl Devin Boyce in pursuit, Marco Milanese sprung into action to pass it back to Nuhu... who had come out from goal in case he needed to collect the ball.
He did, but unfortunately it was out of his own net once the pass trickled past him for a tragicomic own goal. 2-0 to the Flamingos, with a ticket to the Jägermeister Cup semifinals looking all but punched.
The Owls seemed to be shook, on the back foot in every respect... and naturally, minutes later, they put together a wonderful flowing move that radiated confidence. Textbook one-two passing between Blake Malone and Nortei Nortey broke Madison's press, soon allowing Dion Acoff to run at Prentice one on one. Forward Madison goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann could only deflect it into the path of Zeiko Lewis, whose half-volley gave him his first goal for Omaha and gave the entire team a lot more pep in their step.
Omaha would threaten a second goal not long before the half when Joe Gallardo's shot ends up in the path of both Dos Santos and Charlie Ostrem after an initial save, but with both of them and Ferrety Sousa all converging on the loose ball at once, Schipmann was able to scramble back and collect it before it trickled over the line.
Despite all the angst of the first half, Omaha held a 10-5 lead in shots, a slight edge in possession, and were connecting on a good number of crosses as well. It truly seemed as though Lewis' goal settled their nerves and allowed them to dictate the game more on their own terms.
Coach Dom definitely felt the team was playing up to par. "The quality that we showed with and without the ball was excellent. The bravery we showed to come here and play the way we did and dominate them for 90 minutes was fantastic."
Still, they were pushing well into the second half to even things up.
It took two sets of substitutes, along with a shift in formation that betrayed their chase-the-game mentality, but they finally got it.
Ryen Jiba's first touch of the match was to settle a pass wide from Brandon Knapp. His second was to deliver a stunning whipped cross that sailed all the way to the far post and onto the foot of an unmarked Pedro Dolabella to poke home on the volley. Even after the goal, the towering midfielder had plenty of space to soak up the admiration of the Madison fans.
"My job was to come in and impact the game," said Jiba postmatch. "[I had to] get crosses in the box to create chances for us, and with the luck of Pedro and Steevan they were able to score the goals."
As Jiba alluded to, nobody had time to rest on their laurels. The quality of his crosses was no sheer luck, though, nor was the positioning of either player to be on the end of them.
After one cross came all the way through to the left wing, Jiba kept it in play and this time fired an inswinger that forced Bernd Schipmann to bat it away from the far corner of his own net. Dos Santos was right there to leap and stab home a stunning third goal to turn the match on its head in a span of 146 seconds. This was the first time in 15 matches between the clubs that either team had put up three goals, making this truly uncharted waters.
Omaha looked to have all the momentum from there, pinning Madison back in an effort to put the match away. All it took was one hoofball over the top to undo all of that, though. Christian Chaney wrested control of the situation away from Marco Milanese to bring the pass down, and with a brilliant chop inside to set himself up, he fired an equalizer just through Nuhu's fingers to bring the scoreline to a stunning 3-3.
The ensuing penalty shootout was purely for bragging rights, with both teams essentially secure in their spots in the Jägermeister Cup knockout round. While Joe Gallardo's panenka absolutely twisted up Schipmann, it was a scuffed strike by Milanese that was the difference, his effort being the only save in the shootout.
"We thought we were going to see the game out after going up 3-2," said Coach Dom, "and it was a disappointing goal to concede at the end there, but I'm really proud of the guys for the way they played.
"I think it sent a message to everybody in the league that whether we're playing home or away, it doesn't matter. We can do that to you whenever we want."
Union Omaha haven't officially locked up their spot in the knockout stages of the Cup at time of writing, but it would take a mind-boggling effort from either Lexington or the loser of Greenville-Charlotte to pass them in the goals scored tiebreaker. With the points collected in this match, meanwhile, Forward Madison clinched advancement to the next round in their own hunt for silverware.
From here, the Owls will venture west on a short week for a Wednesday, September 4th matchup against Spokane Velocity. After that, they'll head right home for their September 7th square-off with Greenville Triumph on Hometown Heroes Night, presented by WoodmenLife. If they hold their wild card spot, Union will make it three matches in a week's span with an away trip on September 11th for a shot at the Jägermeister Cup finals.
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United Soccer League One Stories from August 30, 2024
- Triumph Eliminated from Jägermeister Cup Competition After Loss to Charlotte - Greenville Triumph SC
- Jacks Win USL Jägermeister Cup Group, Advance to Knockout Round - Charlotte Independence
- Triumph Eliminated from Jägermeister Cup Competition After Loss to Charlotte - Greenville Triumph SC
- Wild 3-3 Result vs. Madison Aids Both Teams' Cup Causes - Union Omaha
- Greenville Triumph SC Secures Forward Federico Stachuk on Loan - Greenville Triumph SC
- Chattanooga Red Wolves Close Jägermeister Cup Play in Final Round against Lexington - Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
- Kickers Net Late Game Winner to Beat Spokane Velocity - Richmond Kickers
- Forward Madison Advance to the Semifinals of the USL Jägermeister Cup - Forward Madison FC
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