One Knox Wins it With Furious Second Half Comeback

USL LEAGUE ONE MATCHDAY 26	1ST HALF	2ND HALF	FINAL
ONE KNOXVILLE SC (13-5-8 | 47 PTS)	0	3	3
FORT WAYNE FC (10-8-6 | 36 PTS)	2	0	2

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – It was dire straits for One Knoxville SC for the first 72 minutes. Not only was it down by a pair of goals on the road, but was also finding it increasingly difficult just to muster a shot. Then, as if a switch was suddenly flipped, the squad twice found the back of the net with lightning quickness and it was off to the races from there.

It was a race that ended with a Denis Krioutchenkov 88th minute winner as One Knox pulled itself off the mat to stun Fort Wayne FC with an improbable 3-2 victory Wednesday night at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium.

“This is a night a lot of us will remember,” the heroic Krioutchenkov said. “It’s always hard on the road, no matter where you play and when you’re down 2-0 in the first half, you’re looking for hope. To make it happen in the end just makes it all the more enjoyable and worth it. This is the reason we play the game.”

Coming into the match as part of a triple substitution with Mikkel Gøling and Real Gill in the 59th minute, Krioutchenkov not only bagged his 10th goal of 2026 in emphatic fashion, but also provided the final pass on Teddy Baker’s equalizer, a minute following Momo Diop’s first professional goal.

Gøling and Gill also notched assists, marking a thrilling three-point evening that sees Knoxville push its unbeaten streak to eight matches.

“It was a tale of two halves,” said Head Coach Ian Fuller, who’s squad moves back into fourth place in the USL League One standings with the result. “It felt good to see the character of the guys, because they fought like heck and got what they deserved.

“I’m thrilled that (the substitutions) came on with the right attitude and not only worked their socks off, but brought the quality that we were looking for.”

One Knoxville finished the match outshooting its opponent 13-11, 6-5 in attempts on target, making for an impressive turnaround after not tallying a single shot after the first half.

The final attempt was the biggest one as Krioutchenkov ran onto a forward header from Gøling and just needed one touch to slot it by Fort Wayne goalkeeper Bernd Schipmann to complete the turnaround.

“As soon as I saw the ball go up in the air, I knew there was space behind the defenders and Mikkel beautifully headed it to me where all I had to do was just smash it low and hard on frame,” explained Krioutchenkov who took off his shirt in jubilation after the goal and slid towards the sideline where he was mobbed by his teammates.

“I knew I was going to get one major chance and, while there’s a lot of pressure in the moment, all I do is focus on the ball. It just felt very rewarding to come on for the team and change the game like that.”

It was the 14th goal in USL1 play this season that One Knox has scored within the final 15 minutes of a match. And while it increased Krioutchenkov’s club-leading goal total to eight in league play, it was the rookie forward’s first time finding the back of the net since August 1.

“When you’re a striker and you haven’t scored in a bit, it lies heavy with you,” Fuller explained. “To see us be more aggressive in the box, it really changed things for us. We’re at our best when we’re playing that way.”

While Krioutchenkov’s winner grabs the headlines, the idea of Knoxville leaving Indiana with three points didn’t even seem plausible until Diop headed home a cross from Gill in the 73rd minute to light the spark of possibilities.

Baker finishing off a back-heeled pass in the box from Krioutchenkov a minute later only made the belief for victory even stronger.

“They say 2-0 is the most dangerous scoreline in soccer,” Krioutchenkov noted. “All it takes is one opportunity and that first goal put life into us, and then once we got the second one, we knew we could win it.”

The two goals in quick succession quieted the home crowd and erased the result of a dominant Fort Wayne first half that saw James Musa score the opening goal in the ninth minute and Ryan Becher doubling the advantage in the 39th.

“It still wasn’t in my thought process to go for the win when it was 2-1,” recalled Fuller. “It was just let’s just keep putting pressure and see if we could get an equalizer, but then I’m really pleased with Denis’ decision making to get the assist to Teddy. He had been forcing the issue lately, but he showed his composure in that moment and he doesn’t get the winner if he doesn’t do that.”

One Knox goalkeeper Jonathan Burke recorded his second consecutive start and logged three saves. Defender Jaheim Brown made his first appearance since suffering an injury on August 8. The Jamaican outside back entered the match in the 70th minute and recorded the tackle that ignited the attack, leading to Krioutchenkov’s goal.

NEXT UP
One Knoxville SC will enjoy the result for the night before quickly turning the page to another tough contest away from home. The squad travels to face first-place Union Omaha on Saturday as it looks to complete a six-point week. Kickoff from Morrison Stadium is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The squad will then return to Covenant Health Park on Sunday, September 27 when it hosts Westchester SC (tickets) in a nationally televised match on ESPN2.