The Chattanooga Red Wolves are set to take on the #2 Richmond Kickers in an away matchup on Saturday at 6:30 PM EST. Although the Red Wolves are no longer contenders for the postseason, the Richmond Kickers still have everything to play for, as they cannot afford a loss. Going into the final few matches of the season, Union Omaha and North Texas are both right on their heels within striking distance, as the teams battle for the final spot.
Chattanooga (5-5-4) were able to get the best of Richmond (8-5-2) in dramatic fashion, in a 2-1 victory at CHI Memorial Stadium back in early September in the sides sole matchup of the year. The league’s top goalscorer, Emiliano Terzaghi of Richmond, was able to open the scoring against the Red Wolves in the September matchup. He was dangerous the entire game, and was able to redirect the ball past Alex Mangels, capitalizing on the Kickers’ first opportunity and giving them the early 1-0 lead in the 12th minute. The Kickers carried their 1-0 lead into the halftime break, but the game changed when Chattanooga subbed on Marky Hernandez in his return from injury early in the second half. He entered the game in the 53rd minute, and by the 54th minute, the score was 1-1. Hernandez immediately collected the ball and sliced his way down the sideline before picking up an assist with his first touches of the game. Tanner Dieterich was on the receiving end of the ball, and tucked it away past the keeper. The score remained even until the final minute of stoppage time, when Marky again collected the ball and assisted Steven Beattie for the game-winning goal in stoppage time.
Greg Hurst currently sits three goals behind Terzaghi and will be making his push for the Golden Boot in this match. The Kickers’ keeper Fitzgerald is tied in 3rd place for having the most saves but the team sits in 4th in the league for most goals allowed. It will not be easy, but this is an additional storyline that will likely keep fans on the edge of their seat.
The Chattanooga Red Wolves will not let up, and will do their best to end the season on a high note and ruin the day for Richmond. With a loss, Richmond will likely lose their second-place spot, as North Texas and Omaha are hoping they slip up in order to steal the last spot in the last game of the season. The pressure is on for Richmond, and there is no room for mistakes today, especially when facing the Chattanooga Red Wolves.
