Forward Madison dominated the stat sheet but not the scoreboard Wednesday night, falling 2-1 to FC Tucson on the road. The Flamingos outshot Tucson 24-6, including 10 shots on target, but were sunk by early goals in both halves.

It didn’t take long for the home side to open the scoring, with Elivelton Oliveira giving the advantage to Tucson in just the third minute of play. Oliveira slotted past FMFC goalkeeper Philipp Marceta, angling a low shot at the far post.

From that point on, though, Forward Madison took the initiative. The Flamingos pushed numbers into the attack, registering an impressive 17 first-half shots.

Although it took a while, the Flamingos finally turned that momentum into a goal thanks to a strike from Paulo Júnior in the 40th minute. Paulo got his head to an inch-perfect cross from defender Josiah Trimmingham, heading home from close range to tie the game before halftime.

As the second half began, though, FC Tucson regained control. FMFC conceded for a second time in the 55th minute, with Joshua Coan rocketing a shot past Marceta to give his team the lead again.

Coan had in fact scored against Forward Madison before, registering a goal for Marquette University during the final game of the Flamingos’ 2019 preseason schedule.

From there, Forward’s firepower dissipated. Head Coach Daryl Shore turned to his bench, using all five substitutions in an ultimately fruitless effort to bring his team back into the game.

Former FC Tucson man Jamael Cox made his return to Kino North Stadium, while Louis Bennett saw his first action since July.

Following Wednesday’s loss, Forward Madison will return home to Hart Park to host Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 1 p.m. The Flamingos sit seventh in USL League One, seven points off a playoff spot.

FC Tucson: Amahl Knight; Derrick Silva, Niall Logue, Samuel Biek, Esteban Calvo; Elivelton Oliveira (Raheem Sommersall 80’), Ramon Howell (Roberto Alarcon 67’), Erik Virgen; Giovanni Ramos Godoy (Charles Booth 90+4’), Joshua Coan (Manuel Ferriol 67’), Azaad Liadi (Darius Lewis 81’)

Unused Substitutes: Carlos Merancio, Jordan Pena 

Forward Madison FC: Philipp Marceta; Jiro Barriga Toyama (Eli Lockaby 85’), Connor Tobin, Josiah Trimmingham, Christian Diaz; Eric Leonard, Fito Ovalle (Jamael Cox 65’), J.C. Banks (Michael Vang 64’); Paulo Júnior, Don Smart (Louis Bennett 84’), Wojciech Wójcik (Noah Fuson 78’)

Unused Substitutes: Chris Brady, Gustavo Fernandes

Goals
FC Tucson
Elivelton Oliveira 3’
Joshua Coan 55’

Forward Madison
Paulo Júnior 40’

Discipline
FC Tucson
Azaad Liadi 74’ (yellow)

Forward Madison
Eric Leonard 68’ (yellow)
Josiah Trimmingham 90+3’ (yellow)

Referees
Alan Martinez
Jordan Vlad
Melissa Beck
Alan Rios

Venue
Kino North Stadium - Tucson, AZ