Rally Madison FC Fall To River Light FC In First Road Match

Rally Madison FC Fall To River Light FC In First Road Match

Rally Madison FC fell 1-2 in their first-ever USL W match on the road tonight in Illinois

Lineup Notes: 

RMFC: #00 Zillman, #2 Werth (Budish 46’), #3 Maurer (Arthur 46’), #4 I. Arnold (Sikorski 46’) (Rosenfeld 75’), #7 Fernau (Murray 46’), #8 Christopher, #10 McGuire, #16 Stanton, #18 Walos (Steel 46’), #27 C. Arnold (Oliviero 46’), #30 Shea

RLFC: #1 Folliard, #6 Karrow, #7 Chiarelli (Johnson 69’), #19 Kipsey, #20 Tobino, #16 Burke, #10 Gryzik, #24 Roberts (Gumm 69’), #28 Liapis (Nugent 69’), #31 Tetteh (Birdsell 46’), #26 Rogers 

Match Action

Tonight’s match started fairly evenly with both teams making their way into their opposition’s final third. It was River Light FC that struck first with a goal in the 9’ from Tetteh off of a corner. Rally nearly found the equalizer in the 25’ but their shot ricocheted off the post. Zillman put on a show, making numerous stops and saves to keep the match within reach for Rally. Madison entered the break a goal down to River Light. 

Rally started the second half aggressively, keeping on the gas with constant pressure and an attacking mindset. Despite an incredible defensive showing, Birdsell doubled the River Light lead in the 73’. Rally had a great one-v-one opportunity with the keeper in the 82’, but Folliard came up with a massive stop to keep Madison off the board. Rally had another run at the goal in the 86’ but Folliard foiled their plans again. In the last quarter of the match, Rally took control and stayed on the attack, constantly finding opportunities in the final third, but were unable to pick the lock. Rally finally found the back of the net in 90’+4 with a brilliant shot from Megan Murray, but it was too little, too late this evening as the referee blew the final whistle moments after the Rally goal. Despite the defeat, Rally showed incredible tenacity in their first-ever USL W match with plenty of positives to build off of as the 2026 season unfolds. 

Goal Summary

1-0 RLFC, Tetteh (8’)

2-0 RLFC, Birdsell (73’) 

2-1 RMFC, Murray (90’+4)

Disciplinary Summary

Next Match

Next up, Rally Madison FC host their very first USL W match in their League Home Opener against Minnesota Aurora FC at Breese Stevens Field on May 23rd. Fans can support the Club by purchasing single-game, season tickets, or shopping the Rally Merch Store!About Rally Madison FC: Rally Madison will begin play in May of 2026, featuring the top pre-professional players in the country. More information on the Club and USL W League can be found at www.rallymadisonfc.com.