Fort Wayne FC is atop the Valley Division, thanks to its 4-2 victory Saturday at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium, but it wasn’t easy.
After allowing the Dayton Dutch Lions’ Felix Ezekwuka to even the match with goals in the 52nd and 82nd minutes, Fort Wayne FC emerged victorious in dramatic fashion – getting a goal from Venton Evans on a penalty kick in the 96th minute and an insurance goal from Hugo Garcia in the 98th.
It was a thrill ride for the 1,629 fans – the largest crowd of the season at Bishop D’Arcy Stadium – but a reminder for Fort Wayne FC that it must keep polishing its game as it chases a third straight Valley Division championship.
Some rest for the club will help; Fort Wayne FC is coming off a stretch of five games in the span of 16 days.
“We had a tough schedule,” club captain Tiago Dias said. “It’s tough for the legs and tough for everyone. That’s why we need everyone on the team. But we’ve got to keep working, especially with the mistakes we made (Saturday) – we shouldn’t have conceded those two goals – and now we’ve got to work toward Cincinnati and get back to clean sheets.
Fort Wayne FC is back on the pitch 7 p.m. Saturday at Kings Hammer FC Cincinnati before returning to Bishop D’Arcy Stadium for a match 7 p.m. June 18, when it will be Youth Soccer Night – area youth soccer players wearing their jerseys will get in free with the purchase of an adult ticket (limit of two free kids tickets per one adult) – as the club faces Lexington SC.
With a 5-0-1 record, Fort Wayne FC has a two-point lead in the Valley Division standings over Lexington SC (4-0-2). The clubs played to a 1-1 draw on May 23 in Kentucky.
Back then, Fort Wayne FC didn’t have Evans, who has experience in the professional ranks and with the Jamaican National Team, and arrived in Fort Wayne early last week.
“It’s hard to think that he (had) only been with us three or four days,” coach Mike Avery said after Saturday’s victory. “I know his influence is going to grow as he spends more time around us. He’s a great addition. He’s a really nice person and fits in with the team very well from a culture standpoint. We’re excited to have him around.”
And Fort Wayne showed, as it has all season long, that it finishes matches strong – a key component of its undefeated record. After Lexington SC tied Kings Hammer FC Columbus earlier in the day, a draw would have kept Fort Wayne FC tied for first place, but the victory over Dayton put the hosts in control of the division race.
“That’s good that we believe until the last minute and that we ended up winning for the extra two (points),” Dias said.
Only one team from the Valley Division will qualify for the USL League Two postseason.
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.