MADISON, Wisc. - In a Wednesday night battle of unbeaten teams, Justin Sukow's second-half strike earned Forward Madison FC a 1-0 win over Union Omaha at Breese Stevens Field.

The traffic went mostly in Madison's direction in the first half, as the Flamingos enjoyed 57 percent possession and tallied 11 shots to Omaha's one. Derek Gebhard nearly scored an excellent individual goal 12 minutes in, but dragged his shot just wide in the end.

Madison was finally rewarded for its attacking intent 13 minutes after halftime. Audi Jepson picked up the ball and drove forward before threading a through ball between Omaha defenders. The pass perfectly found Sukow, who was making his first professional start, and slid a shot into the net to give the Flamingos the lead.

That goal would prove to be the only one of the match, and thus the winner for Forward Madison. The home side's victory snapped a run of nine games unbeaten for Omaha, which suffered its first defeat of the 2021 season.

The two teams will soon meet again at Breese Stevens Field on Sunday, June 6. Before that, Madison will make a southeastern road trip to face South Georgia Tormenta FC and Fort Lauderdale CF, while Union Omaha travels to take on Toronto FC II in Arizona.

USLLeagueOne.com Man of the Match

Christian Diaz, Forward Madison FC - Diaz contributed to the win at both ends of the pitch. The fullback led all players with seven duels won, made four interceptions, and completed two tackles. He also passed at an 84 percent success rate, even with just under half of his attempts in the opposition half.

Goal Summary

• MAD (58') - Sukow (first), assisted by Jepson