CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (September 1, 2020) – USL League One announced Chattanooga’s Marky Hernandez as the Player of the Week after he led his side to a 4-0 victory against the New England Revolution II on Saturday at CHI Memorial Stadium. Hernandez scored a pair of goals to lead the Red Wolves to a bounce-back victory while also completing 11 of 12 passes overall. The League also announced the Team of the Week which includes Hernandez, and teammates Ricardo Zacarias and Ricky Ruiz. Chattanooga’s victory puts them into playoff contention as the side claimed its second win overall of the campaign.
Saturday’s match was a strong response after Head Coach Jimmy Obleda had challenged the team to be “ruthless” in their scoring opportunities. Chattanooga, arguably known as the most entertaining team in the league, had been struggling to finish their plethora of created chances in prior matches. This past Saturday the team answered with a 4 goal onslaught, three of which coming in the first half. The match ultimately led to Marky Hernandez’ first Brace, Ricardo Zacarias’ first goal, Captain Steven Beattie’s first goal of the season, and Ronaldo Pineda’s first assist marking the match an offensive breakout for many of Chattanooga’s front men.
After the match Coach Obleda said, “We were waiting for a breakout game from Marky and Richie [Ricardo Zacarias]. We knew what Greg [Hurst] was giving us but we needed those two to really step up. And they both did. Richie finally got that goal that he was working so hard to get, and I couldn’t be happier for him. Marky was an unstoppable nightmare for the opposing defense. He has really done well in taking advantage of his opportunities to play. Add up the scoring possibilities now, and that’s a deadly combination. This could be the beginning of a killer attacking front.”
Marky Hernandez was very excited to walk away from this game after his first brace of the 2020 season. In a post match interview, he was elated, and when asked how it felt to score two goals he said, “It felt good.” When asked about earning the accolade of USL League One Player of the Week Hernandez was quick to bring his teammates into the conversation “For me earning this accolade says more about the team’s effort than mine as an individual,” says Hernandez. “I was glad to score the goals, but without my teammates, it wouldn’t have been possible. We still have a ways to go, and won’t stop working hard till we get to the top.” He also attributed part of the team’s electric style of play to the atmosphere at CHI Memorial Stadium. “The energy from the fans is contagious. It’s a fun atmosphere to play in and we pull from their energy late in the games.”
Ricky Ruiz and Ricardo Zacarias were both named to the USL Team of the Week. Ricky Ruiz was a standout outside back. Not only did he contribute to the defensive campaign that didn’t allow New England a single shot on goal but he also recorded an assist on Ricardo Zacarias’ goal. Zacarias is a player who’s been working all season for the breakthrough goal he got this past Saturday.
Going into the latter half of the season, Chattanooga is back in playoff contention. The club travel’s this weekend to play David Beckham’s Inter Miami CF II before heading up to Gillette Stadium to rematch New England II. The boys are back in town against the red hot Richmond Kickers on next Saturday Sept. 12th tickets are available on https://www.chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com.
