Red Wolves’ run ends in semifinals
Locked in a draw with the Greenville Triumph SC for the fourth time in five matches after a full 90 minutes, the Chattanooga Red Wolves appeared close to earning a spot in the USL League One title game.
Red Wolves striker Juan Galindrez fired a shot off the keeper’s hands in the 92nd minute of Saturday’s semifinal at Legacy Early College in South Carolina. Two minutes later, in the first of two 15-minute periods for overtime, Chattanooga’s Marky Hernandez evaded defenders for a cross into Greenville’s box that was knocked out for a corner kick.
Ultimately, though, reigning league champion Greenville settled down and secured a 2-0 victory, ending a breakthrough season for the third-seeded Red Wolves at 12-7-11.
Andrew Booth’s left-footed touch pass from the top left portion of the box found Jesus Ibarra at the top of the penalty arc, where he sent a missile off the outstretched Chattanooga keeper’s hands into the back net in the 97th minute. Marios Lomis added the second goal for second-seeded Greenville (13-7-9) in the 110th.
Greenville moves on to next Saturday’s title match at top-seeded Union Omaha (155-9), the 2020 runner-up and a 6-1 winner against FC Tuscon (12-11-7) in the other semifinal. ›
Former Dalton High School standout Damian Rodriguez has had quite the year. The 18-yearold scored his first professional goal to help the Chattanooga Football Club make its final home match of the year a 1-0 victory over the Michigan Stars FC on a chilly Saturday night at Finley Stadium.
In the 29th minute, Juan Hernandez found Markus Naglestad, who made a run from the right sideline and kicked back to Rodriguez, who stopped at the top right of the 18-yard box. He then skipped a shot into the left half of the net.
Rodriguez was lifted into the
air by the 31-year old Hernandez as the club’s most seasoned player celebrated with the budding talent who captained his high school national powerhouse to a 20-0-2 record and the program’s sixth GHSA state title in May.
CFC improved to 6-9-2 in the National Independent Soccer Association fall schedule, which it will close next Saturday against Stumptown AC (4-4-8) in Matthews, North Carolina.
The Stars dropped to 5-6-6 with the loss in Chattanooga.