Fort Wayne, Ind. – Fort Wayne FC started the 2023 USL 2 season with a perfect night at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium at the University of Saint Francis. The 1-0 win over Kings Hammer was the cherry on top of a night that had already started off as special for Fort Wayne FC. The club played their first match in their new home stadium, and it was also a celebration of DaMarcus Beasley’s induction to the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Alexander Frank’s game-winning goal added to the excitement of the night.

The game was a rematch of last season’s opener, when FWFC also defeated Kings Hammer 1-0. In this season’s match, FWFC’s captain and #10, Alexander Frank, scored the game-winning goal in the middle of the second half with a fantastic bicycle kick after Tom Abrahamsson’s assist, and it proved to be enough to secure the victory.

FWFC’s ‘veterans’ Reid Sproat and Frank, who played for the team in previous seasons, had a significant impact on the match. Sproat’s solid performance in defense, highly praised by FWFC Coach Mike Avery at the end of the match, helped the team to keep a clean sheet.

The game was very close, with both teams having chances to score. Kings Hammer’s best chance came in the last minutes of the first half when Sam Robinson had a 1 vs 1 opportunity to score, but FWFC’s goalkeeper Aurie Briscoe made an excellent save to deny him.

After a dream debut, Fort Wayne FC shifts its focus to the next challenge. The club plays a friendly match next Tuesday (May 16) against Chicago City of the USL2 Heartland Division at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium. This will be another chance for FWFC fans to see their team in action and for the players to sharpen their skills before their next USL 2 Valley Division match.

Click Here to listen to what Head Coach Mike Avery had to say about the match during the post game interview.