LANCASTER, Calif. – Fort Wayne Football Club peppered the opposing net with eight shots on target Saturday night. But the Autumn Gold & Black couldn’t get one past AV Alta FC goalkeeper Denzil Smith.
The result of the contest was a 3-0 loss with AV Alta FC getting goals from Jerry Desdunes, Miguel Ibarra and Joaquin Acuna.
Fort Wayne FC’s goalkeeper, Bernd Schipmann, stopped three shots.
Fort Wayne FC (7-6-6) has lost four of its last five USL League One matches – the losses all coming against teams currently in playoff position – and it’s come on the heels of an 11-match unbeaten streak, the second longest run in league history for a first-year club.
AV Alta FC (8-6-8) got the victory, in front of an announced crowd of 3,708 at Lancaster Municipal Stadium, to snap a 0-2-1 winless streak.
This was the second meeting between Fort Wayne FC and AV Alta FC, who played to a scoreless draw at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on May 30. In that match, Smith had five saves and Schipmann was forced to stop none.
On Saturday night, Fort Wayne FC was without Michael Rempel, who received a red card for a professional foul late in the 2-0 loss to league-leading Union Omaha at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on Aug. 1. Rempel will be eligible to return to the lineup in Fort Wayne FC’s next match, Aug. 15, at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.
It’ll be a rematch with Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, the club Fort Wayne FC got its first victory in the professional ranks against back on April 11. The Autumn Gold & Black won that match 1-0; Taig Healy scored 44 seconds into the match for the fastest goal in club history. Twelve cards were assessed in that heated match.
Both teams Saturday night had terrific chances early in the contest. Fort Wayne FC’s Javier Armas was foiled on shot from just outside the penalty area by Smith in the 6th minute.
And in the 17th minute, a highlight-reel play was delivered by Fort Wayne FC captain Tiago Dias: A shot by AV Alta FC’s Nicholas Releford got past Schipmann, but Dias rushed in to kick the ball into the stands just before it crossed the goal line.
Smith had to come up big again in the 20th minute for AV Alta FC, when Healy unleashed a shot from the top of the penalty area. And Schipmann followed suit by kicking aside a Cesar Bahena Jr. shot from point-blank range in the 26th minute.
In the 37th minute, someone finally broke through – AV Alta FC’s Desdunes, who slipped behind the defense on a counter attack and beat Schipmann from deep in the penalty area.
At halftime, Fort Wayne FC had a 4-3 lead in shots on target, but it trailed 1-0 on the scoreboard.
AV Alta FC took a 2-0 lead in the 54th minute on a 10-yard shot by Ibarra, set up by a pass within the box from Desdunes.
In the 63rd minute, AV Alta FC’s Smith preserved the two-goal lead with a two-handed glove stop on a Healy shot from just outside the box.
AV Alta FC’s Acuna finished the scoring in the 90th minute, making it 3-0.
Fort Wayne led AV Alta FC in possession of the ball, 56.3% to 43.7%, and had an overall shot advantage of 21-12.
Match photos
Match highlights
Box score
FORT WAYNE FC 0-0-0
AV ALTA FC 1-2-3
August 8, 2026
At Lancaster Municipal Stadium, Lancaster, CA
Attendance: 3,708
RECORDS: FW 7-6-6; AV 8-6-8
GOALS: FW—None; AV—Jerry Desdunes, Miguel Ibarra, Joaquin Acuna.
ASSISTS: FW—None; AV–Jerry Desdunes, Adam Aoumaich.
SAVES: FW—Bernd Schipmann 3; AV— Denzil Smith 8.
POSSESSION: FW—43.7%; AV—56.3%.
YELLOW CARDS: FW—Jayden Smith, JP Jordan, Daniel Oyetunde; AV—Jimmie Villalobos, Nicholas Relerford.
RED CARDS: FW—None; AV—None.
REFEREE: Igor Bych
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.