Chattanooga Red Wolves Take Waterlogged Slugfest Over FC Naples

Rain and poor field drainage plagued the flow of play.

EAST RIDGE, TN - For the second time in four days, Chattanooga hosted a league match on a soaked CHI Memorial pitch. Despite 8.5 inches of rain falling in under a week, postponement doesn’t seem to have been an option with the visitors already in town.

The result: two chaotic, rain-drenched showdowns, and four points earned for the hosts: a 0-0 draw against Richmond, and a 3-1 win over Naples.

The conditions made for dangerous footing, with water visibly splashing from ball movement and players slipping. For a few minutes, it appeared this might turn into another messy 0-0 draw.

However, FC Naples struck in the 10th minute, as Jayden Onen lobbed a 35-yard stunner over Chattanooga goalkeeper Jason Smith, playing just a bit off his line. It was Onen’s first league goal of the season.

Chattanooga leveled just before halftime as Ualefi set up Joshua Ramos, whose shot deflected off Pedro Hernandez and into the top corner. It was also Hernandez’s first in league play and Ramos’ second assist.

The Red Wolves broke through late in the second half. In the 85th minute, Michael Knapp buried the go-ahead goal amid a chaotic scramble following a corner.

Down 2-1 in stoppage time, Naples Head Coach Matt Poland ordered his squad to go all in. For a 90+4’ corner kick, everyone came forward, including keeper Lalo Delgado. However, Smith punched the ball clear to forward Matt Bentley, who sprinted down the field with the ball, dodging two tackles to place the ball into the empty net.

In the aftermath of the goal, tensions from an already chippy match with ten yellow cards boiled over into a scuffle. Red cards were handed out to Naples’ Delgado, defender Jake Dengler and Chattanooga’s Knapp.

After Saturday’s match, Head Coach Scott MacKenzie said the team entered the day with a plan on competing in the less-than-ideal conditions.

“Ball in the air, win your headers, win your flick-ons, compete, compete, compete,” said MacKenzie in post match remarks.

“I’ve not promised wins or losses, or positions in the league,” said MacKenzie, “all I’ve promised is this city and this fan base can have a team they can be proud of because they’ll give everything on the pitch.”

“And look, with conditions, that didn’t come down to who’s the prettiest football team, that came down to who’s the most up for a fight.”

“We were most up for the fight,” he said.

Match Notes

It was the second of three scheduled meetings between Chattanooga and Naples this season. The sides opened the season with a 1-1 draw at Naples, and will meet again in Naples on June 14th.

Matt Bentley scored his fourth in league play, and only two months into the season is just two away from matching his USL League One season high of six.

Announced attendance: 1,986

Goals

NAP: Jayden Onen, 10’ (Karsen Henderlong)
CHA: Pedro Hernandez, 42’ (Joshua Ramos)
CHA: Michael Knapp, 85’
CHA: Matt Bentley, 90+4’

Next Up

Chattanooga will have the weekend off before traveling to South Georgia Tormenta on Saturday, May 24th.

Naples has a quick turnaround, traveling to Portland this weekend. They’ll be without Delgado and Dengler, serving red card suspensions for that match.