WHAT TO WATCH FOR AND WHAT TO EXPECT
The Chattanooga Red Wolves will travel to Windsor, Colorado on Saturday, September 14th to take on Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC for the final time this season. The two first meetings between these two teams were held at CHI Memorial Stadium, ending in a 0-0 draw on Saturday, March 25th and a 1-1 draw on Saturday, July 8th; the Red Wolves will be looking to earn the three points to secure the series win, their fourth of the year in addition to One Knoxville, Lexington SC, and Forward Madison.
Chattanooga Red Wolves head into their final match of the 2023 season after a 2-2 draw at home against Greenville Triumph SC on Saturday, October 7th. The Red Wolves dominated in the first half of play after leading by two goals heading into the locker room at half time. Jonny Filipe scored the first goal of the match in the 10th minute from the edge of the box. The Red Wolves continued to attack and made it 2-0 after a strike from Ropapa Mensah in the 28th minute, his 11th goal of the year. Greenville also had chances in the first half, but were ultimately denied by a very strong Red Wolves defense.
Greenville came into the second half stronger and more aggressively, scoring two goals within seven minutes of each other. The first came from Jacob Labovitz who found space around goalkeeper Carlos Avilez at the far post in the 53rd minute. The Red Wolves had a chance to make it three, but Mensah was denied after the Greenville defender cleared it off the line. Greenville Triumph SC tied the game in the 61st minute as Leonardo Castro put it in the back of the net with a tight shot just four yards out from the goal. Although both teams had multiple chances to take the win, the game would ultimately end in a 2-2 draw.
Northern Colorado Hailstorm FC played Forward Madison FC on Saturday, October 14th which resulted in a 2-0 win for Northern Colorado. Both teams had nine shots respectively, but were unable to find the back of the net in the first half. The game began to open up as the Hailstorm brought on Noah Powder and Jackson Deitrich. The changes at halftime quickly paid off as Noah Powder took the 1-0 lead for the Hailstorm off a free kick in the 49th minute. Northern Colorado extended their lead in the 71st minute of the match with a converted penalty kick from Trevor Amann, making it his 23rd goal of the season. The Hailstorm would take all three points.
“Northern Colorado are a good side with familiar faces; they have had a good season,” said Red Wolves head coach Scott Mackenzie of the Red Wolves’ next opponent. “We have a motivated group who want to compete in every game.”
The Chattanooga Red Wolves will look to win the series with Northern Colorado FC on Saturday, October 14th. When asked about the final game of the season, head coach Scott Mackenize said, “We are excited for the final match of the season. We have been on a good run of form and go into every game believing we can put on a good show for the fans, and get them excited about 2024.”
FILIPE HEATS UP OFFENSIVELY, EARNS FINAL MAN OF THE MATCH FOR 2023
Jonny Filipe has contributed in the last three games with two goals and three assists. Filipe scored the first goal of Saturday night’s match against Greenville Triumph SC in the 10th minute of the match, which earned him the final Man of the Match honor for the 2023 season. He also scored and had one assist in the game against Lexington SC on September 23rd, earning him a spot on the USL League One’s Team of the Week and being named Player of the Week and picked up an assist on Mayele Malango’s goal against Central Valley on September 30th.
ROPAPA MENSAH AND CHEVONE MARSH IN THE DOUBLE DIGITS
Ropapa Mensah added his 11th goal of the season on Saturday, October 7th against Greenville Triumph SC. Mensah is the second highest leading goal scorer on the team, behind Marsh. Marsh has scored 12 goals this season, and is one goal away from tying the Red Wolves franchise record for most goals scored in a single season, which is currently held by Juan Galindrez (13 goals, 2022).
The Red Wolves are one of only four teams to have multiple two-digit scorers in addition to North Carolina FC, South Georgia Tormenta FC, and Union Omaha.
AVAILABILITY REPORT
The Chattanooga Red Wolves will be missing a few key players in their final game of the season due to national team duties; defender Nico Cardona (Puerto Rico) and goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez (Guatemala) will miss Saturday’s match as both players have been called up to represent their countries in the CONCACAF Nations League. Travis Nicklaw (Guam) and Mayele Malango (Malawi) will also miss the game to represent their countries in a series of World Cup qualifying matches.
Injuries for Red Wolves include Christian Enriquez (leg), Felipe Liborio, Jr. (groin), and Aarón Lombardi (adductor).