Fort Wayne FC Lets Another Lead Slip Away in 1-1 Draw at Charlotte

Fort Wayne FC once again showed their class on Saturday as they went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the league in Charlotte. But Fort Wayne also, once again, struggled to hold a lead late in the match, and this time doing so with a one-man advantage.

Offensively, it was all Charlotte in the first half. They created 7 chances forcing Schipmann to make 3 saves. Fort Wayne’s back line of Jordan, Dias, Musa and new signee, Aleksandar Vukovic, absorbed the pressure well. Vukovic started on the left side of that line and had a solid first showing on the defensive side of the ball but did not get involved in Fort Wayne’s attack.

Momentum began to swing in Fort Wayne’s favor in the second half, due in part to Michael Rempel coming on in his usual spot as the left back in place of Vukovic. That addition gave Fort Wayne FC what they needed to stretch Charlotte’s defense and find spaces to work with in the midfield.

Later in the half, the Independence were reduced to 10 players (63rd minute) due to a late challenge on James Musa that earned Christopher Jaime his second yellow of the match. Nineteen minutes later, Tiago Dias headed a ball past Levy for the go ahead goal. But, there was still too much time to play and Pinho’s equalizer in the 89th minute forced Fort Wayne to settle for a 1-1 draw.

Despite the draw, the afternoon could have looked very different without Bernd Schipmann.

Making his 99th USL League One appearance, Schipmann turned in the type of performance that kept Fort Wayne in the match long enough to eventually take the lead. He made several excellent saves, including chances that could have become game-winning goals for Charlotte.

Ryan Becher, whose four-match scoring streak ended Saturday, still played a key role in the match. He connected on several chances inside the box and although none of them found the net, he supplied the assist for Dias’s goal in the 82nd minute. That goal was the third for Dias on the season and his second in the last two matches.

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The result keeps Fort Wayne in eighth place and above the playoff line, but the margin is becoming increasingly uncomfortable as the season nears its end. The opportunity to create separation is becoming smaller, and dropped points after holding a late lead are increasingly costly.

The next chance comes Saturday, October 3, when third-place Forward Madison comes to Ruoff Mortgage Stadium. Madison sits 14 points ahead of Fort Wayne, making for another difficult test as Fort Wayne tries to hold onto its playoff position.