Match Recap: Thriller in Mt. Juliet as Nashville Rhythm open season with 2-2 draw against TN Tempo
On a rainy Tuesday night, Nashville Rhythm FC opened their season with a 2-2 draw against fellow mid-state side Tennessee Tempo FC.
The scoring was opened by the visitors just a few minutes into the game, as Tempo carved through Rhythm’s right side, and found Ashiat Naluggwa to make it 1-0. Then, about 15 minutes later, the hosts found a reply as Addie Forbus made a similar run herself before crossing to the back post for Katie Toney to tap home to make it 1-1.
Forbus would later be injured, and it’s expected she’ll miss the remainder of the 2025 season.
The teams went into the break tied at one, and played out much of the second half that way as well, as both teams seriously struggled for control, possession, and consistency.
Then, in the latter stages of the game, Rhythm looked dangerous. Toney, the goalscorer, took the initiative and drove into the box, getting clipped and drawing the referee’s whistle for a penalty which was scored by Angie Kieh just into stoppage time.
It was desperation mode for Tempo, who threw everything forward. As the three allotted minutes of stoppage time expired, Tempo won a free kick, hurled a ball into the box, and after a bit of pinball, Jessica Meira was able to fire the ball into the net to capture an unlikely point for the visitors.
Next up for Rhythm is a road trip to face FC Birmingham on Sunday, the start of a three-game road trip before returning home on June 15th. We’ll take a look at the game that was on Sunday!