Chattanooga FC - WPSL Season Review

Thoughts on CFC's 2025 campaign

Rounding out our coverage of Chattanooga FC’s WPSL campaign, we take a final look at their 2025 season. The Southeast Soccer Report began its coverage of the team with a 2025 Season Preview back in April. In that piece we’d called out Mae Hunt and Annalisa Vincent as the players to watch, and also posed the question: could new Head Coach Juan Hernandez produce the magic? We followed the preview with a sit-down interview with Hernandez and Associate Head Coach Maryn Beutler to discuss the upcoming season, the opening game, and the job of building a squad to challenge for titles and represent their community. We asked them if their impressive off-season recruitment drive was a statement of intent for the year ahead. I think fans saw the answer to these questions on the field.

Chattanooga made history in its 2025 WPSL campaign, seeing the women’s program's best-ever finish. The team ended the season with an 8W-2L-1D overall record and only allowed seven goals in 11 matches. As the South Region Champions, the side advanced to its first ever WPSL Championships in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Facing defending champions California Storm in the Semi-Final, they fell just short 1-0 after a late second-half goal. Let’s unwrap the story of their season.

Summary

Regular season

Pos: 2nd | Won: 5 | Drawn: 1 | Lost: 1 | Goals for: 15 | Goals against: 5

Chattanooga got off to a blistering start in the WPSL Southern Conference Peachtree Division on May 23 with a 5-0 shellacking of UFA Gunners at Finley Stadium. Reese McDermott announced herself to the Scenic City that day. Fresh from helping the Colorado Storm reach the final of the USL W League in 2024, when she tallied ten goals in 15 matches, she scored twice against UFA, the first two of nine she’d net this season. Local Kennedy Ball also got two (including a ridiculous flick), as did returnee Analisa Vincent.

A week later, Georgia Impact were also put to the sword at Finley, with CFC winning 2-1. A comeback win saw Hannah Tillet begin the revival, with McDermott scoring the winner off an Annick Manga Zouma assist.

It was not to be three-from-three at home however, as they then fell to a 2-1 loss to visiting Decatur FC, who would go on to top the Peachtree Division. It was a harsh loss, with a Jordan Crockett own-goal ultimately separating the two sides. The defender was otherwise flawless the whole season. CFC’s goal came from McDermott who headed in a Tillett corner kick for her fourth goal in three matches.

Bouncing back, they beat the UFA Gunners for the second time in the season, winning 1-0 at Denmark High School on June 6. In the 70th minute, Billie Jean Davies found Ball who teed up a shot for McDermott. This was saved but fell to the feet of midfielder Mae Hunt, who dispatched a shot into the top corner for her first goal for the club. A great moment for a player whose technical class often dictated CFC’s wins.

Next came a 2-0 home win over Atlanta Fire United on June 14, with goals from McDermott and Kaylie Smith. Smith took her goal excellently and with confidence resulting in a wonderful strike. Tillett and Brady Livingston provided the assists.

Then there was a come-from-behind 1-1 draw at Georgia Impact on June 18. Ball found the equalizer in the 77th minute with a right-footed shot that found the bottom corner. CFC finished their regular season with a 5-1 victory over Atlanta Fire with McDermott icing the cake through a delightful hattrick. Goals from Ball and Manga Zouma completed the rout.

Their return game against Decatur was never played, due to inclement weather.

Post season

Finish: National Semi-Finalist | Won: 3 | Lost: 1 | Goals for: 7 | Goals against: 3

Finishing second in the division behind Decatur, who declined to participate in the postseason action, Chattanooga were invited to represent the Peachtree Division in the Southeast Conference Championship against Nashville Rhythm (themselves also participating in-place of 865 Alliance). Thanks to an excellent EG Dillard strike, they beat their strong in-state rivals 1-0. A CFC women’s record crowd of 1,231 were there to see them claim glory and the club’s first title since 2018.

Moving on to the South Region playoffs at RavenTek Park in Leesburg, Virginia, CFC defeated Arlington Soccer Blue 3-1, earning a spot in the South Region Final. After Arlington had gone 1-0 up, a Tillett penalty got CFC going before a Manga Zouma double won the day. Manga Zouma was putting on a late-season audition for Athlete of the Year. Grace Ambrose was also instrumental in the win.

The very next day, Chattanooga defeated LA Krewe Rush 4-0 to be crowned the WPSL South Region Champions for the first time in club history. The usual suspects hit the net, including Tillett, Manga Zouma, and McDermott. There was a also a first goal of the season for Academy graduate Regina Campa.

Which brings us to the National Championship Semi-Final and the 1-0 loss to California Storm. California would go on to lose to Sporting CT in the Final.

Individual Highlights

Best Goalkeeper

Maddie Smith

Came with championship winning experience and rarely put a foot wrong. Was #1 in a competitive position for the team and was named in the Peachtree Division Best XI and South Region Best XI and won the Peachtree Division Goalkeeper of the Year award.

Best Defender

Jordan Crockett

Was unlucky with an own goal against Decatur, but the 23-year-old was reliable and composed the entire season. Also came with a strong resume and it showed as she led a defense that only conceded eight goals in 11 games.

Best Midfielder

Hannah Tillett

Her name was mentioned so much in the season summary above, there can be no doubting her impact. Arriving with experience playing in Europe, she was a routine goal factory who also chipped in with three of her own. Named in the WPSL All-National Team.

Best Attacker

Reese McDermott

Came with a lethal goalscoring record in Colorado and repeated the trick with nine goals in 2025. Named in the Peachtree Division Best XI, the South Region Best XI, and the All-National Team.

Best Player

Reese McDermott

See above.

Best Young Player (under 21)

Kaylie Smith

Scored a lovely goal against Atlanta Fire on June 14 that was, in my opinion, the team’s best goal of the year and grew into the season with each game. It’s hard to believe how young she is, given how she played with such confidence. Was also named in the South Region Best XI.

Coach report

Juan Hernandez is a club legend for CFC and an ambassador for the community. He was the assistant coach for this team in 2024. The Spaniard announced his retirement from playing in 2023, and is the club’s all-time mens assists leader, retiring on 127 matches in eight seasons with CFC.

Hernandez and Associate Head Coach Maryn Beutler recruited a strong side. Using their web of contacts in the Southeast (in the case of Hernandez) and the Midwest and West coast (in the case of Beutler), they assembled a squad that balanced youth and experience, local and invitational. The results were there to see. Second only to an outstanding Decatur FC, their side were worthy representatives of the region as they marched all the way to National Championship rounds.

Hernandez has to score an A+ for his efforts this season, and will have raised high expectations about what this side can do in 2026.

Other highlights

A big highlight was the 1,231 strong crowd that showed up for the Southeast Conference Championship match against Nashville Rhythm. It was a great cap on the home season for CFC and a sign that the city was waking up to the exciting footall played by Hernandez’s team and a reminder that there isn’t just one CFC team in town.

Statement signings were made in pre-season that felt like they might bring CFC’s WPSL side to frontiers it had not seen before. These included the likes of goalkeeper Kyleigh Hall and midfielders Hannah Tillett and Mae Hunt who brought professional experience from abroad. Additionally, there was strong recruitment from across lower league women’s soccer with goalkeeper Maddie Smith coming from 2024 WPSL Champions California Storm, as well as a clutch of recruits from 2024 USL W Champions Colorado Storm (Elisa Dean, Jordan Crockett, and Reese McDermott). Statement signings that helped this team make the leap.

And while fans at Finley Stadium were treated to excellent football from eyebrow-raising recruits, there was also some great soccer from local talent. The chances given to Academy graduates was a big part of this season. Academy product and Girls Preparatory School graduate Kennedy Ball finished the season with four goals, the second-most in the side. Other players to have played minutes, made matchday roster appearances, or train with the first team included Regina Campa, Hannah Helms, Brady Livingston, Tori Soutuyo, Kloe Reeves, Kayden Mounce, Ryleigh Ramey, Olivia Newton, and Tallulah Lafferty.

A successful season for the Sky Blues and one for Chattanooga’s fans to cherish and remember. The Southeast Soccer Report looks forward to covering them again next season.

Full Results

Regular Season:

• 23 May - Chattanooga 5-0 UFA Gunners

  • Scorers: Reese McDermot x 2, Kennedy Ball x2, Annalisa Vincent

• 30 May - Chattanooga 2-1 Georgia Impact

  • Scorers: Reese McDermot, Hannah Tillett

• 3 June - Chattanooga 1-2 Decatur

  • Scorers: Reese McDermot

• 6 June - UFA Gunners 1-0 Chattanooga

  • Scorers: Mae Hunt

• 14 June - Chattanooga 2-0 Atlanta Fire

  • Scorers: Kaylie Smith, Reese McDermot

• 18 June - Georgia Impact 1-1 Chattanooga

  • Scorers: Kennedy Ball

• 24 June - Atlanta Fire 1-5 Chattanooga

  • Scorers: Reese McDermott x3, Kennedy Ball, Annick Manga Zouma

• 27 June - Decatur - Chattanooga (Cancelled)

Conference Championship:

• 3 July - Chattanooga 1-0 Nashville Rhythm

  • Scorers: EG Dillard

Regional Championship:

• 12 July - Chattanooga 3-1 Arlington Soccer Blue

  • Scorers: Hannah Tillett (p), Annick Manga Zouma x 2

• 13 July - Chattanooga 3-1 LA Krewe Rush

  • Scorers: Hannah Tillett, Reese McDermott, Annick Manga Zouma, Regina Campa

National Championship:

• 18 July - Chattanooga 0-1 California Storm