WPSL: Chattanooga Lacks Rhythm Against Nashville
- Philip Farrell
- Jun 18
- 7 min read
NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com
CHATTANOOGA, Tn --- Nashville Rhythm FC gave a masterclass in passing and pressing football on Tuesday evening at Finley Stadium. Through some slick play, great positioning, and devastating flanking attacks they were worthy winners against a Chattanooga Football Club that were second-best in every facet of this WPSL clash.
Combinations of Emma Pettersen, Katie Shea Collins, Summer Riley, and Breahn Fisher unlocked Chattanooga’s defense, up-to-now the best in the league. In this battle of the league’s best defense against its best attack, the former was the one to break. After the game, Rhythm Head Coach Travis Fravel reflected on the quality in his side: “I think it's probably one of the best teams that Nashville Rhythm has seen in a long time. They had another good run a few years ago with a quality team and this one probably matches that and even exceeds it. This team is really loaded. And the thing is, we can mix and match our starting line-up and the level doesn’t drop. That really makes a difference, especially late in the games”.
It began early when Shea Collins, a youth international with the United States U-17, U-19, and U-20 programs, demonstrated her talent by coming in from the left to meet a deft Pettersen pass to her wing, cut inside and launch a shot that left Ashton Blair helpless in the CFC goal. It was a great finish that capped off a blistering attack from the visitors who began the game with a level of pace and passing that caught the hosts off their guard.
The tempo and intensity Nashville brought reminded one of the first half performance of Morocco against Brazil in their recent World Cup bout.
Just six minutes in, Summer Riley, a high school senior committed to the University of Florida, got a shot off after good work with Avery Brown on the right that went into Blair’s safe hands. On 18 minutes, Riley pounced upon a misstep by Blair to tap it in and make it 2-0.
It wasn’t until around the 24th minute that CFC got its first shot on target, a Kallie West effort that didn’t trouble Kendall Curran.
Chattanooga were getting dispossessed too easily in the middle of the park. A big reason for that was the presence of Nashville central midfielder Breahn Fisher. She gave an excellent performance, showcasing her strength, intelligence, and positioning with a disciplined stay in her area of the field.
Blair made a terrific save on 35 minutes, the first of many. Great play on the right between Riley and Sarah Beth Sizemore saw a shot that Blair tipped over the bar. Five minutes later, she tipped over a long range effort from Fisher.
The game had something of a derby flair to it. As well as being an all-Tennessee affair, there were mini-derbies aplenty on the field. A clutch of Middle Tennessee University players were facing off against one another, and there was the interesting introduction of Brenna Swiger for Nashville, who plays her University soccer here at Finley Stadium with UT Chattanooga. She was playing away in her traditional home.
As with all games in the WPSL, there was a fluid revolving door of players coming in and out from early in the first half. I would say that this tinkering affected Nashville’s rhythm (no pun intended) and they never looked as dangerous as they had in the first 30 minute or so, once the substitutes started.
Another reason they were less effective in the game, as the tactical decision of CFC Head Coach Majo Harispuru to push defender Kei Yoneda into central midfield in the second half. Yoneda is an assured quantity, a great passer, and physically stronger than many of her teammates. Her presence in the middle of the park steadied Chattanooga in the second half and the side looked more balanced.
After the game, I asked Harispuru about the decision to push Yoneda up and how she felt it went. “I think we threatened them with EG [Dillard] and with Kass[ie Vigil] up top. So, that was the idea - getting them a little bit more anxious about whenever they had the ball. And then the intention of Kei going higher was trying to win the ball a little bit higher and then distribute from there”.
Early on, a great bit of play between Vigil, Dillard, and Annick Lolita Manga Zouma ended with the latter getting a shot away that glanced in front of goal and wide. A word on Manga Zouma’s performance is worthy of mentioning here. She was excellent, again. The best CFC attacker this season by some distance, she was again this evening an outlet of energy and creativity that deserves more of those around her.
On 68 minutes, Vigil thought she’d netted CFC’s first, but it was called back for offside. Nashville weren’t done yet though, as ten minutes later a wonderful through pass from Fisher found Avery Brown but her shot was saved well by Blair. Soon after, yet another great through pass from Fisher found Riley on the wing. Great saving tackle from Charlotte Reynolds. Two minutes later, there was another fantastic pass from Fisher that cut through the CFC backline to Riley. Despite excellent pace, Riley’s opportunity was snuffed out by the defense.
Manga Zouma was still working. On 85 minutes she bore a fantastic run, weaving into the box, and Kallie West streaming in on the left. Her effort hit the post. Another great Manga Zouma pass to Reika Yuba minutes later wasn’t controlled in the box.
On the 96th minute, there was another great save from Blair. I counted four critical saves from her during the game as she showed grit and resilience to rebound from her mistake for the second goal. Harispuru was full of praise for Blair after the game, saying “I think when we make a mistake, we all know [referring to Blair’s error that caused the second Nashville goal]. There’s no need of someone going back and saying ‘Hey, what happened?’ The mistake is done and obviously we could see by her body language, by her attitude that it is clear she made a mistake. So we try to focus first and foremost is my question at halftime was ‘Are you ready to go back in?’. Because I also think it's very valid if she says ‘No. I’m not there’. And that’s something I would respect if she needed a little more time to reset. But that shows, I think, how strong she is. She did reset and have a brilliant second half. She was there when we needed her, and boy, we needed her. So, I would focus more on that on the capacity that she had to connect again with the game, to trust in herself again, and to make sure she made the saves when she needed to”.
Fravel reflected on the win, saying: “I think it was a pretty even match for most of the game. I think two different halves really. They some good adjustments at half-time, went a little more direct, sent numbers forward and made it a little more difficult for us to get out. Once we didn’t just try to build in the second half and release the pressure I thought that we got it in their half a little more. Scoring two early goals really did help us and change the game. We always try to get after teams, Our front three are pretty dynamic [I assume he’s referring to Pettersen, Riley, and Shea Collins here] starting a much and if we can get them going early that’s something we’re always looking to try to do”.
Harispuru put the loss down to: “Our decision making on the ball. Our speed of play. And understanding that we didn’t want to press high and there was a misconnection when we stepped onto the field. Because we had some players pressing high, we had some players staying, and there were a lot of gaps between our lines. So, the understanding when we stepped out was we’re going to wait on a mid lock. We’re going to allow them to give us the ball. And that’s the first play, right? We step when we shouldn’t have - they break us. It’s a good break. It’s a good change in rhythm and speed. And I think the second goal definitely, not just because of how it happened, but just having a second goal; it disconnected us from the game”.
Amazingly, no cards were issued. The match was a clean and sporting affair which both teams and coaches should be proud of. For Nashville, they leapfrog Chattanooga (as well as Decatur and UFA, who have a game-in-hand) and into second-place. This is deserved as they’re undoubtedly one of the best sides in the league and have only lost to Decatur and Georgia Impact. For Chattanooga, its season is effectively over and a push for post-season soccer is over. But, there’s still games to be played!
Box Score:
Chattanooga FC v Nashville Rhythm
WPSL
Venue: Finley Stadium | Chattanooga, TN
Final Score: Chattanooga 0-2 Nashville Rhythm
Scoring summary:
4’: K. Shea Collins (NRFC)
18’: S. Riley (NRFC)
Player of the Match: Breahn Fisher (NRFC) - recently transferred to Florida from TSU, the midfielder was everywhere for Nashville. A wonderful playmaker capable of a through pass that sliced open CFC’s defense multiple times, she’s also physical and a great tackler and was responsible for breaking down so many Chattanooga attacks. Linked well with Summer Riley who will join her at Florida next year.
Starting XIs -
Chattanooga FC: Ashton Blair, Tori Soutuyo, Claire Palya, Kasie Vigil, EG Dillard, Kei Yoneda, Linka Ono, Rieka Yuba, Annick Lolita Manga Zouma, Luiza Junior Dos Santos, Ximena Jauregi
Substitutes: Kyleigh Hall, Saylor Schalk, Kallie West, Hannah Helms, Georgina Palós, Lillian Gardner, Charlotte Reynolds, Casamina Palazzolo, Kayden Mounce
Head Coach: Majo Harispuru
Nashville Rhythm: Kendall Curran, Avery Brown, Erin Ward, Scottie Newton, Hailey Phillips, Tatum Ahlmeyer, Bekah Allen, Breahn Fisher, Katie Shea Collins, Emma Pettersen, Summer Riley
Substitutes: Aireona Duenez, Brenna Swiger, Georgia Shields, Isabella Hodson, Kassy Uzelman, Maryn Brown, Ruffa-Mae Meger, Sarah Beth Sizemore
Head Coach: Travis Fravel
Next Games • Tuesday 23rd June, 19:00 (ET): Decatur FC v Chattanooga FC, Decatur High School, Decatur, GA (WPSL) • Saturday 20th June, 19:00 (CT): Nashville Rhythm FC v 865 Alliance, Green Hill High School, Mt. Juliet, TN (WPSL)
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