In the final road match of the season, the Chattanooga Red Wolves looked for three critical points against the Richmond Kickers. Stefan Lukic opened the scoring early in the first half with his second of the year and second against Richmond this season; however, the Kickers equalized just before the end of the first half and took a later lead in the 71st minute to take the full three points by the conclusion of the match.
The opening 15 minutes of the contest saw even possession and play through the midfield as both sides looked to break out their press. The Kickers had several corner kick opportunities that forced TJ Bush to make leaping saves and punches out to keep the attacking hosts at bay.
In the 16th minute, Stefan Lukic collected a pass from Lucas Coutinho and muscled past a pair of Richmond defenders followed by a hard, precise shot that landed past the outstretched hand of the keeper and into the top corner. Ropapa Mensah nearly followed up immediately with a second goal that went just wide of the goal.
The hosts began to gather more shots and force Chattanooga on the back foot, including a shot in the 35th minute that was saved by a diving Bush. Richmond evened the match moments later as a corner kick was converted as Chandler O’Dwyer tapped the ball to the back of the net. The Red Wolves added two more shots by the end of the first 45 minutes, but the score would stand at one apiece as the clubs went off for the half.
The second half saw Richmond pick up more shots as Chattanooga brought on Chevone Marsh in place of Omar Hernandez in search of more offense and the go-ahead goal. While the Red Wolves found additional shots from Mensah, including one that went inches over the bar and out, it would be the Kickers to take the lead in the 71st minute as Klaidi Cela found space right in front of Bush to grab the second goal for the home side.
Richmond continued their press and limited Chattanooga’s offense as time and chances to equalize waned. A long feed from Marsh was nearly tapped in, but the Kickers keeper found and collapsed on the ball to prevent the tying tally. The match reached a heated peak as a small mob of red and white jerseys formed by the sideline and yellow cards were shown to each side in the 86th minute. As second half stoppage time began, Bush joined the late press in search of the equalizer but none would come by the final whistle.
The Chattanooga Red Wolves will close the season at home next Saturday, October 26th in their annual Pink Out game with a jersey raffle benefiting the MaryEllen Locher Foundation in addition to food and drink specials, bounce houses, and more. Tickets are on sale for the home finale, and season ticket information for the 2025 season will be released soon.
