Chattanooga FC came from behind to defeat Kalonji Pro-Profile 2-1 in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup thanks to goals from Darwin Ortiz and Ameziane Sid Mohand on Wednesday evening at Finley Stadium.
Chattanooga was aggressive early in the first half, and Nathan Koehler almost struck first for the Boys in Blue with a header that flew over the crossbar.
Kalonji's Toni Tiente nearly opened the scoring with a penalty kick that CFC goalkeeper Griffin Huff brilliantly saved, but it was 14-year-old Braiden Kalonji who found the back of the net on the rebound for the visitors to make it 1-0 in the 13th minute.
CFC kept possession in the visitors' end for much of the first half and outshot Kalonji 11-2. Chattanooga continued the pressure until midfielder Darwin Ortiz scored his first professional goal in stoppage time to equalize for the Boys in Blue just before the break.
Ameziane Sid Mohand kicked off the second half with a bang for CFC, scoring the go-ahead goal just 11 seconds into the half to put the Scenic City up 2-1.
"We had a really hard half-time discussion," said Interim Head Coach Richard Dixon. "I felt we let the game start to get away from us a bit in the first half. The guys did a great job getting that first goal to make sure we ended the half with the momentum on our side. We got the second goal and I thought the guys did a good job managing the game."
Kalonji made a quick charge toward CFC's goal in the 74th, but Huff came up big for the Blues to shut it down. Chattanooga had several chances in the 85th minute, including another nearly-missed header from Koehler that struck the post.
The momentum remained firmly behind Chattanooga through to the final whistle as the hosts advanced to the Second Round of the nation's oldest soccer tournament.
"We win and we move on now," said Dixon. "Who knows who we'll play next round. It's the beauty of the cup competition. For us it's a chance to continue to showcase ourselves, if we keep winning, against high-level teams. It's a chance for us to add more games to our season as well. These guys love football. They love to play, so the more we advance the more they get to play, so we're excited."