One Knox SC Shares Point with Forward Madison FC

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 23	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (11-5-7 | 40 PTS)	0	1	1
FORWARD MADISON FC (13-5-5 | 44 PTS)	0	1	1

MADISON, Wisc. – Looking to do something that no team in USL League One has accomplished in 2026, One Knoxville SC was a mere minutes away from handing Forward Madison FC its first home loss of the season. However, a tough-luck own goal right before stoppage time sees the points split in a 1-1 draw at Breese Stevens Stadium on Wednesday.

“Really disappointed, but it’s not for a lack of effort,” Knoxville Head Coach Ian Fuller said. “It’s just the little moments that are killing us. We’ll get it right one of these days, and we can look at this as a positive in that we got a result in a place that’s tough to play in and we nearly took three points, but the reality is that we didn’t.”

With the result, One Knox moves its unbeaten streak to five matches as it becomes the fourth team in USL1 to reach the 40 points plateau this season.

But instead of grabbing the much-needed three points in victory, the visitors have to settle for its fourth consecutive draw, as Eli Conway’s second half goal was unable to stand alone in the end.

“I think the big takeaway was that we got our goal but we couldn’t see it through,” explained Fuller. “In the final third, it’s game time, and we are consistently giving away too much territory and are too loose.”

Having already fired off 20 shots on the evening, Madison was finally able to break through in the 89th minute.

After finding some space in the box following a run down the left side, forward Hakim Karamoko connected with fellow substitute Joshua Bolma at the top of the box. The Madison forward got off a shot and One Knox goalkeeper Johan Garibay appeared to get a glove on the ball with a dive to his right. But it glanced off of defender Finn McRobb, who was covering the goal line, before hitting the back of Garibay and rolling into goal.

“The little things to push us over the line, we just weren’t doing,” Fuller said. “I expect us to work hard and give everything, which they are, that’s not the problem. It’s just those fine moments and the goal was a perfect example where it came from nothing and suddenly they are coming at us.”

It was an unlucky moment for a One Knox side that had been frustrating its opponent on that end for most of the night, highlighted by McRobb’s team-high 5 tackles won and eight clearances while Garibay notched six saves.

Despite a discrepancy in total shots, Knoxville put five of its six attempts on target – just one less than Madison.

After a couple of chances in the first half that were stymied by goalkeeper JT Harms, Conway turned in the breakthrough goal in the 73rd minute on a nice bit of skill.

Receiving the ball on a quick give-and-go from John Murphy Jr., Conway was free with the ball on the right side of the pitch and dribbled his way into the box, before taking a touch to get the ball on his left foot and firing away.

The low, driving strike took a bounce in front of a diving Harms before hitting the inside of the far post and rippling the back of the net.

“What a fantastic goal,” Fuller said of Conway. “We see that almost every day in training. The kid has got so much ability and is coming into his own. He’s got the desire now and is beginning to understand that opposing players are scared of him when he’s got the ball and when he’s without the ball. He’s a really difficult player to play against.”

It was the second goal in the last four appearances for the 22-year-old rookie who started and played the full 90 minutes for a third time this season.

Murphy Jr. was credited with the assist. The forward had entered the match just six minutes prior, marking his return to Breese Stevens Field after playing for Forward Madison in 2024 and 2025.

NEXT UP
One Knox continues on the road as it now heads west for a Saturday showdown with AC Alta FC. Kickoff from Lancaster, California is set for 10:30 p.m. ET. The squad then returns home to Covenant Health Park to take on FC Naples on September 11. Tickets for the special Knoxtoberfest match are available, with festivities including a special biergarten on the concourse, live pre-match polka music and a club-branded beer stein to the first 1,000 fans, ages 21 and up, to enter the stadium.