It was a milestone night for Fort Wayne Football Club goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann, who played the 100th regular-season match of his USL League One career and didn’t allow a goal. Schipmann stopped three shots for his league-leading ninth clean sheet of the season and Fort Wayne FC got a crucial standings point from a scoreless draw with Forward Madison on Saturday night at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.
It was the first of three matches in three different cities over the course of eight days for Fort Wayne FC, which is trying to secure a playoff berth in its first season of professional soccer. The Autumn Gold & Black currently occupy the eighth and final playoff slot amid the league’s 17 teams and possess a three-point lead over Corpus Christi FC, which lost 3-0 to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Saturday.
Fort Wayne FC (10-9-9), which has only four matches remaining in the regular season, plays Wednesday at Corpus Christi (9-10-9) and Oct. 10 at league-leading Union Omaha (19-6-4).
Schipmann has played 27 matches with Fort Wayne FC. The other 73 came over three seasons with Forward Madison, which led in time of possession (52.9% to 47.1%), corner kicks (12-4), and shots in the box (11-8).
Schipmann came up big every time he was needed. Forward Madison’s goalkeeper, John Harms, also excelled – particularly with a big stop of Clarence Awoudor in the 53rd minute – and Harms finished with three saves for the Mingos (15-7-7).
Harms was almost bested on a late game attempt by Taig Healy, following an Awoudor cross in the 73rd minute, but Healy’s header caromed off the tips of Harms’ fingers and then the right goalpost, leaving the 3,849 fans at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium in disbelief.
“I thought we were really good tonight,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “I thought we had enough chances to win the game. Their goalkeeper made great saves twice, on Clarence and then on the header by Taig, so we did enough to win the game. But also, we defended an awful lot of set pieces and corner kicks. And they’re a very strong attacking team and I was proud of our growth in that area.”
Fort Wayne FC and Forward Madison played to two draws this season; the clubs tied at 1 in Wisconsin on June 17.
Forward Madison, in third place in USL League One, had already clinched a playoff berth.
Fort Wayne FC’s chances of ascending past eighth place in the league standings took a hit – they trail Chattanooga by seven points for seventh place.
The club’s next home match is Oct. 17 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium against the Sarasota Paradise. Tickets are on sale.
Match photos
Bernd Schipmann’s 100th match
Video
Box score
FORT WAYNE FC 0-0-0
FORWARD MADISON 0-0-0
October 3, 2026
At Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, Fort Wayne, IN
Attendance: 3,849
RECORDS: FW 10-9-9; MAD 15-7-7
GOALS: FW—None; MAD—None.
ASSISTS: FW—None; MAD–None.
SAVES: FW—Bernd Schipmann 3; MAD—John Harms 3.
POSSESSION: FW—47.1%; MAD—52.9%
YELLOW CARDS: FW—Logan Niedlinger, Ryan Becher; MAD—Roman Torres, Aaron Edwards.
RED CARDS: FW—None; MAD—None.
REFEREE: Muhammad Kaleia.
About Fort Wayne Football Club
Fort Wayne Football Club, founded in 2019, is a professional soccer club playing its first season in USL League One in 2026. The club plays home matches at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, which opened May 2, 2026, and is a soccer-specific venue. In pre-professional USL League Two, Fort Wayne Football Club won division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For more information, visit FortWayneFC.com.
About United Soccer League
Founded in 1986, the United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL is the first and only organization to offer a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem. This structure includes four men’s leagues: the newly announced, top-tier professional Division I league, the USL Championship (Division II), USL League One (Division III), and USL League Two (pre-professional). The women’s pathway includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country’s leading pre-professional women’s league. The USL also oversees USL Academy, a progressive talent development platform, and USL Youth, a premier national youth platform.