Fort Lauderdale CF earned a dramatic 1-1 draw against Forward Madison FC in the team’s first-ever visit to Breese Stevens Field, with forward Mitch Curry securing a point with a late equalizer in added time.
Fort Lauderdale made two changes from last week’s lineup as Edison Azcona and Venton Evans took the place of Josh Penn and Shaan Hundal.
The opening half was hotly contested from both sides as the midfield battle between the teams resulted in three yellow cards.
Despite a resilient defensive display, Fort Lauderdale fell behind 1-0 in the 38th minute thanks to a wonder strike from Madison forward Noah Fuson. Madison managed to fend off Fort Lauderdale’s attacking efforts to maintain their lead into halftime.
The second half began with an electric opening five minutes, with Madison forcing an inspired save by goalkeeper Drake Callender before a thunderous long-range shot by Harvey Neville only two minutes later was saved by the Madison keeper.
In the 69th minute, Evans came agonizingly close to an incredible goal as his shot from the edge of the 18-yard box narrowly went over the crossbar.
Fort Lauderdale continued its search for an equalizer as the team kept possession of the ball and posed an increasing threat. This proved difficult as Madison stood firm all the way until the 90th minute.
The crucial moment, however, came in the dying embers of the match as right back Brian Rosales played an inch-perfect cross to striker Mitch Curry, who volleyed an excellent strike into the bottom left corner of the goal to finally tie the game moments before the final whistle. The goal was Curry’s fifth of the season, tying him atop the team’s leaderboard with Hundal. The assist, meanwhile, was Rosales’ second of the campaign.
Next up for Fort Lauderdale is an evening match at home against North Carolina FC at the DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday, Aug. 1 at 7:30 p.m. ET. The game will air live on ESPN +.
