LANSING, Mich. – It may have been a friendly game on paper, but the Lansing Common FC fan base celebrated it like a championship.
Lansing Common FC delivered a victory in their first-ever game in a friendly 3-1 tilt over Fort Wayne Sport Club.
“This was a great start and an amazing night for everyone,” said head coach Josh Oakley.
The Robins started the game with what seemed like their best lineup after only a week of training. Defender Aidan O’Connor and forward Shady Omar highlighted the club’s first-ever starting XI.
“It was a tough start in the opening 20 minutes,” Oakley said. “And we almost put ourselves to sleep.”
30 minutes into the game, LCFC defender Dante Morrissette conceded a penalty, and Fort Wayne converted the spot-kick to get the first goal of the game.
The Robins immediately looked to get back into the game. Midfielder Marco Bernardini controlled the game early on, but there were few options going forward.
At the 40 minute mark, Morrissette received a great pass from Bernardini and rectified his previous mistake when he crossed the ball from the left side of the box. His pass found its way across goal to defender Kyle Scott who slammed the ball into the back of the net.
Scott tied the game at 1-1 and scored the club’s first goal. Scott is the leading goalscorer in Lakeland High School history and has two All-State accolades.
Seconds before halftime, midfielder Munir Sherali crossed the ball from a free-kick into the penalty area, where it took a couple of bounces off of Fort Wayne defenders and landed at the feet of defender Travis Hamers who immediately shot the ball and put the Robins ahead 2-1.
“We know we have time to work on finishing in the final third,” Oakley said. “But we have to start getting comfortable now.”
Coming out of the break, Oakley made a handful of substitutions that included the appearances of goalkeeper Andrew Nicholsen and forward Joshua Rosendale.
59 minutes into the game, Bernardini received a long ball on the left side of Fort Wayne’s box, dribbled past two defenders, and set up Rosendale whose curling shot took a deflection but inched its way past Fort Wayne’s goalkeeper to put the Robins ahead 3-1.
“Marco (Bernardini) and Leutrim (Shefkiu) on the sides of the center midfield diamond were key for us in controlling the game and taking the game away from Fort Wayne,” said Oakley.
From that moment on, Oakley made more substitutions and experimented with the formation on the pitch.
Oakley ended the game with two main forwards; Seth Russ and Mahdi Mahdi.
Fort Wayne continued to possess the ball but was unable to get clear opportunities at goal.
With five minutes left in the game, Russ delivered an excellent through ball to midfielder Esteban Russell but his shot inside the box was denied by Fort Wayne keeping the scoreline at 3-1.
“When we come back home, we know we’ll have the fans, and I know we’ll play at our best with a large supporting crowd like there was tonight,” said Oakley.
Lansing Common FC will play their first Midwest Premier League match against the West Michigan Bearings on Saturday, May 22.
In all, it was an immense triumph for the city and for the people who made Saturday night at Eastern Stadium a reality.
Tickets for Saturday’s Midwest Premier League opener against West Michigan Bearings are available for just $5 at https://app.gopassage.com/events/lansing-common-may22
