CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Some trends have clearly emerged early into this USL League Two season: Fort Wayne FC’s penchant for winning; Caio Oliveira’s prowess for scoring; and Aurie Briscoe’s ability to finish with clean sheets.
Fort Wayne FC improved to 4-0-1 – including a 2-0-1 mark in road games – and remained tied atop the Valley Division standings with a 3-0 victory Wednesday night over West Virginia United.
“This was a game that was really mostly about our grit and determination in a really difficult environment to play,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “It was really hot – our first game in over 90-degree heat and on turf – and we’ve played a lot of games in a short stretch of time with a thin roster.”
Matthew Catavolo had the lone goal of the first half, accepting a pass from Alsadiq Hasan and driving a 15-yard shot just underneath the crossbar. Gaku Nishimura and Oliveira provided insurance goals in the second half for the two-time defending champions of the Valley Division, who next play 7 p.m. Saturday at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium against the Dayton Dutch Lions.
It was the second goal in the span of three games for Catavolo, while Nishimura netted his first goal of the 2025 season.
As for Oliveira, he’s now scored in 4 of 5 games this season, only failing to find the back of the net in a 1-1 draw with Lexington SC on May 23.
Briscoe has emerged with clean sheets in three of the four matches he’s played, allowing just the one goal to Lexington SC, which is also 4-0-1.
“It was a really good result for us on the road, under really difficult circumstances,” said Avery, whose club is in the midst of five matches in the span of 16 days in three different cities.
West Virginia United dropped to 1-2-0.
Fort Wayne FC used its entire bench, save for backup goalkeeper Christian Herluf, meaning Venton Evans made his Fort Wayne FC debut after joining the club this week.
About Fort Wayne FC
Fort Wayne FC, founded in 2019, is currently a pre-professional club in USL League Two’s Valley Division in the Central Conference. The club won Valley Division championships in 2023 and 2024. Fort Wayne FC is moving to the professional ranks of USL League One in 2026 at a new state-of-the-art stadium. www.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.
