UPSL Playoffs: Penalties See Red Wolves II Through
- Philip Farrell
- 9 hours ago
- 5 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
East Ridge, Tn. — There was penalty shoot-out heartache for Scenic City SC on Sunday evening as they went down fighting to the Chattanooga Red Wolves II at Camp Jordan. After a first half strike from Stone Davies had put the visitors ahead, the Red Wolves rallied to equalize through Taylor Aaron before going on to win the PKs by 4 to 3 in front of a large, invested, and evenly split crowd of supporters.
In what was a physical and intense affair, as games between these sides have become, the evening’s struggling referee issued at least nine yellow cards as the tension was high. A place in the UPSL Premier Georgia North Playoff Final was on the line.
Scenic City lost first-choice fullback Ben Horchack within the first twenty minutes after he collided awkwardly with Red Wolves’ Caden Macias. Horchack was replaced by winger Clay Gallant. The visitors had some early chances through the hard-working Sam Conrad, supported by the excellent Marcus Odeny. Head Coach Josh Luff resisted making more changes until late into extra time, leaving the likes of Odeny to put in a massive shift for the entire night.
Scenic City’s goal came around roughly the 25th minute (there was no time display at Weldon Osborne Soccer Stadium for this one, so all timestamps are approximate). A lovely pass through from Jack Conrad (brother of Sam) found Davies running into the box. The Cleveland, TN native was unmarked and pounded a lovely shot that left a diving Austin Montoya in the Red Wolves’ goal helpless.
Mere minutes later, Jack Conrad had a chance of his own, but it was sent into the side netting by Montoya.
A difficult night for the officials began after about half-an-hour when the yellow cards began to fly. Special words were reserved by CRW center-back Sfiso Ngwenya and SCSC goalkeeper JD Myers. The referee seemed to miss a back pass between the latter and his defender Jordan Gamedah that caused exasperation on the home bench.
Montoya came to the rescue again on the cusp of halftime when he brilliantly saved a Jack Conrad chance that was started from a long kick-out by Myers. It was a game of big personalities and moments as the likes of Myers, Montoya, and Ngwenya stamped their voices on the game. But, the strongest performance was being put on by Davies. In addition to his fine goal, he was acting as craftsman to a lot of what the visitors did well, playing as a deep playmaker and finding opportunities for the Conrads and Odeny to run onto.
But the Red Wolves’s fightback came just ten minutes into the second half. A free kick from the left found striker Taylor Aaron who made it 1-1. Myers was incensed, feeling he had been fouled in the build up, and was given a yellow card for his protestations.
A penalty call for a potential foul on Red Wolf Rob Lee was waved away a few moments later, to howls of disapproval from his pack.
As the half wore on, the hosts began to create more chances, with Scenic City relying more on long-balls from the boot of Myers. Star winger Nathan Donoho, who has minutes with the Red Wolves’ senior side in USL League One, came on but was not nearly as impactful as he’d been in the two previous meetings with Scenic City. A lot of this was down to the performance of Gallant who marshalled his wing very well, getting booked for his troubles in the process. Gallant was also there to make an amazing goal-line clearance to deny Donoho in extra time.
Another free kick for Chattanooga from the same place as their goal ended with Ty Lake hitting the post. Myers and Lee traded words as the tension built. Substitute Mattias Cobb had a late chance to win it in extra time as we entered penalty shootout territory.
It asks a lot of players, coaches, and fans to dedicate such time late on a Sunday night (the PKs began at about 10pm), but the level of commitment and effort on-field never waned and not a single spectator left their seat. This was grass-roots, play-off soccer and nobody wanted to be anywhere else. Glorious!
Of the three penalties missed across both teams, one was a save by Montoya while the other two we blazed over the bar. In the end, it was Ngwenya, a warrior for the Red Wolves and a player I’d hate to find myself up against, who scored the deciding penalty netting calmly and cooly past Myers.
The Red Wolves march on and will face LSA Mustangs (3-1 winners over Georgia Impact in the other Semi-Final) at home next Sunday in the Final. Credit to them. They’re a tough and physical side, who know how to win. They’ve twice come from behind to march past Scenic City this season and will be worthy champions if they triumph next Sunday.
For Scenic City, it's an end to their first Spring season in UPSL Premier and their second season in the top-flight. This squad has come a long way since its First Division win this time last year with Luff and most of those mentioned above still in the tight-knit side. A fairplay-minded, quick, and cohesive side, they’ll return in the Fall improved from this experience.
Scenic City versus Chattanooga Red Wolves II has become a brilliant rivalry for the UPSL Southeast. The local element of it gives it a certain bite and the approaches, personality, and style of both sides are very different. With the Chattanooga FC U20 possibly coming in next season, and perhaps Cleveland United too (we’ll see), there’s a real opportunity to see some tasty, local rivalries grow this Fall. More people need to come watch it.
Box Score:
Chattanooga Red Wolves SC II v Scenic City SC
UPSL Premier Division - Georgia North - Playoff Semi-Final
Venue: Weldon Osborne Soccer Stadium | East Ridge, TN
Final Score: Red Wolves II 1-1 Scenic City (Red Wolves II won 4-3 on penalties)
Scoring summary:
25’: S. Davies (SCE)
55’: T. Aaron (RW2)
Discipline:
35’: C. Gallant (SCE), caution
40’: T. Aaron (RW2), caution
55’: JD. Myers (SCE), caution
60’: G. Barron (RW2), caution
85’: C. Macias (RW2), caution
96’: S. Davies (SCE), caution
106’: M. Cobb (RW2), caution
120’: T. Fisch (SCE), caution
120+’: A. Montoya (RW2), caution
Man of the Match: Stone Davies (SCE) - Got the opener and played a sublime game for most of the evening. Unluckily was one of those who missed his penalty in the shootout, but take nothing away from his overall performance. A very talented midfielder. Honorable mentions to both goalkeepers, Odeny, and Ngwenya who played huge roles in their team’s efforts.
Next Games • Sunday, 21st June 19:00 (ET): Chattanooga Red Wolves II v LSA Mustangs, Weldon Osborne Soccer Stadium, East Ridge, TN (UPSL Premier)
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