Chattanooga Football Club edged Corpus Christi 1-0 thanks to a header deep into extra time from forward Markus Naglestad to send the club into the second round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, where it will face Chattanooga Red Wolves Red Wolves at Finley Stadium on April 2nd.
In the 112th minute Naglestad got on the end of a Milo Garvanian cross and headed past Corpus Christi goalkeeper Cuba Grant to ultimately send CFC into the next round.
Chattanooga FC dominated much of the first half, as the team's high press proved to be effective against the visitors. Callum Watson had a shot from just on the edge of the penalty area saved. Jakupovic was also called into action on a couple of occasions in the first half, but the veteran keeper was up to each challenge.
The second half had much of the same complexion as the first. CFC dominated play but struggled to produce clear goalscoring chances. Keegan Ancelin got on the end of a whipped in cross from substitute Minjae Kwak in the 70th minute but his header glanced just wide.
Captain Alex McGrath attempted a couple of long-distance strikes on target in extra time, however Corpus Christi keeper Cuba Grant was able to parry out on both occasions.
Club record goalscorer Naglestad had the final say on the evening, showing his finishing prowess and helping the club set up a historic match.
"It's been awhile since I scored at Finley, and it was a special feeling," said Naglestad in his post-match press conference. "It's a feeling I've been longing for. It was indescribable. Obviously we needed a goal, too, so there were a lot of emotions."
"I'm still feeling the adrenaline and excitement of the finish from that match," said Head Coach Chris Nugent. "I'm pleased with the performance overall. These teams are always tough. I know they're an amateur team, but they're not a pub team. They're high level players. They had a good plan and made it very difficult for us. Last game we showed the resilience of how we defended. Today was all about showing the resilience of how we attacked. It would've been nice to be 3-0 up and finish the game after 90 minutes, but this extra test is positive."
CFC will face Chattanooga Red Wolves Red Wolves, a club based in East Ridge, Tennessee, in two weeks' time on Wednesday, April 2nd at 7:00 p.m. at Finley Stadium. Tickets are on sale now.
The men's team's next competitive match will take place away to Atlanta United 2 on Sunday, March 30th at 7:30 p.m. ET as MLS NEXT Pro regular season play resumes.