Conway’s Wondergoal Wins it for One Knox

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 24	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (12-5-7 | 43 PTS)	1	2	2
AV ALTA FC (8-10-8 | 32 PTS)	1	0	1

LANCASTER, Calif. – With a man-advantage and desperate to get back into the win column, things seemed to be trending toward a fifth straight draw for One Knoxville SC. But as the seconds ticked away on Lancaster Municipal Stadium clock, Eli Conway was able to beat it, as well as the goalkeeper.

The young forward’s stoppage time strike made for an emphatic final blow in a 2-1 One Knox victory over AV Alta FC on Saturday.

“I can’t believe it, it just doesn’t feel real,” an elated Conway said afterwards. “The boys worked really hard tonight. We put in the work all week and this was a result we felt we deserved so getting it the way we did was massive. We know our ability and how good we can be, so to see a win again it’s a great feeling for us as we head into the remainder of the season.

“We know what we can do.”

With the victory, Knoxville pushes its unbeaten streak to six matches, but notches its first three-point outing since a 2-1 win over the Sarasota Paradise on August 8. The club currently holds 43 points for fourth place in the USL League One standings eight matches remaining in the 2026 season.

“I’m so pleased for Eli,” said Knoxville Head Coach Ian Fuller. “He’s gotten his reward to play with how he has trained and is now taking his chances. For us to get a result after a good performance, it means a lot to the players, the coaching staff has been working so hard, and I’m pleased for the supporters. They had to go through a lot and not seeing us get maximum points like we’re used to, so getting three points the way we did, any fan who stayed up to watch it got rewarded.”

Following a second yellow card from AV Alta’s Ilias Aoumaich four minutes into the second half, One Knox suddenly found itself as the aggressors after the home side held 71% of the possession through the first 45 minutes. However, it was not until the 15th shot in the second half that Knoxville finally broke through with Conway unleashing the dagger from the top of the box to stun the opposing crowd.

“When I came into the match, I wasn’t doing too well but (Assistant Coach James Thomas) just told me to drive when I get it on my feet and try to make something happen,” explained Conway, who entered the match for Nico Rosamilia in the 68th minute.

“Once I got the ball, I got past the first defender and cut in, I knew I could hit this,” he continued. “As soon as it went off my foot, I was like. ‘Oh, this could be going in,’ so it definitely felt good.”

It was Conway’s second goal in the span of four days, having also found the back of the net in Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at Forward Madison.

On both occasions, the rookie winger showed patience to beat his initial defender on the ball before setting up a left-footed shot. This one, though, was extra special as he curled the ball into the top left corner of the goal and beyond the outstretched arm of AV Alta net-minder Marco Gonzalez.

“We were hitting every part of the goal before that,” recalled Fuller, noting that Rosamilia and Denis Krioutchenkov both had shots hit the post in the first and second halves, respectively.

“Their goalkeeper made some big saves and we weren’t clinical at times, but we handled things incredibly well for the most part. We haven’t played against many teams 11 vs. 10 and it’s hard to break them down when they’re sitting back.”

Conway’s third goal of the season was the perfect bookend for One Knox, who opened the proceedings with a fifth-minute goal from John Murphy Jr.

“Murph has such a short backswing and he caught the ball quickly,” Fuller said. “To go up early the way we did was big, because they are very good with the ball and it changed the rhythm of the match.”

It marked the versatile One Knox midfielder’s fourth goal in USL1 play this season and first since May.

AV Alta equalized things in the 21st minute on a header from Ilias Aoumaich off of a corner. However his night was cut short, following the sending off in the 49th minute. The two teams combined for eight total yellow cards with both Fuller and AV Alta Head Coach Brian Kleiban also booked on the evening.

Saturday night also marked the professional debut for Momo Diop, who signed with One Knoxville SC on Tuesday. The forward received the start and played 69 minutes before coming off in place of Real Gill.

NEXT UP
Riding the momentum of a four-point road trip this past week, One Knox heads back home for its next match as it gets set to welcome FC Naples to Covenant Health Park on Friday, 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. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET.