Chattanooga FC earned two points against Chicago Fire FC II in Saturday night's 2-2 draw and 4-1 shootout win at Finley Stadium.
CFC brought its points total to nine, the most its seen in the month of June since joining MLS NEXT Pro in 2024.
Chattanooga had its first chances of the night in the 10th minute when Keegan Ancelin and Luke Husakiwsky both took close-range shots that Chicago goalkeeper Jason Nemo saved.
Chicago's Damian Nigg had a clear chance in the 29th minute that flew high over the crossbar.
In first-half stoppage time, midfielder Daniel Mangarov found Alex McGrath with a brilliant pass, and the captain buried the volley to break through for the Scenic City, sending CFC into the break ahead 1-0.
Chicago's Damyan Villanueva equalized shortly after halftime for his first of the season.
Substitute Yuval Cohen nearly put Chattanooga up again in the 52nd minute, but his shot curled wide of the net. Chicago fired right back with a header from Dean Boltz that deflected off the post.
In the 57th minute, Villanueva found the back of the net again to put the visitors ahead 2-1.
Forward Ameziane Sid Mohand had a pair of chances in the 64th minute and Cohen had another chance in the 68th off of a high cross from defender Yves Tcheuyap.
It was Damien Barker John who scored in his second-straight match to level for Chattanooga in the 74th minute.
CFC added pressure in the final minutes of regulation and threatened Chicago Fire II's goal with chances from Mangarov, Cohen and Sid Mohand. The match remained deadlocked at 2-2 and went to a shootout for the extra point.
Goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović made two excellent saves while Tate Robertson, Sid Mohand, Cohen, and Mangarov scored each of their four penalties to win the shootout 4-1 and the club's third consecutive shootout.
"We wanted to make sure to bring players on that would keep the intensity and our structure," said Interim Head Coach Richard Dixon in his post-match press conference. "We brought on players that could threaten their backline with runs in behind with the ball at their feet. Damien Barker John did his thing in the wide area—one-vs-ones he's very good. He was involved in both goals tonight, which is very good."
Dixon also reflected on the factors that have led to the club securing its most points in the month of June since joining the league and remaining unbeaten throughout the month.
"Everything always comes down to the guys and the way they execute on the weekends. Ou r emphasis has also been on preparation and we wanted to make sure we had a dip in the summer. Traditionally that's been our achilles heel at CFC; when the summer comes we start dropping points, so we wanted to correct that. We fixed our periodization and started to give the guys exposure to the heat and kept the training time the same instead of avoiding the heat. We have a deeper roster as well so we're able to rotate, so the players can keep the quality and intensity regardless of when they're called upon."
Chattanooga FC will remain at home and continue the Summer of Soccer when it hosts Inter Miami CF II on July 4 at 7:30 p.m. CFC will be playing at the home of the Chattanooga Lookouts in the first-ever soccer match at Erlanger Park, with post-match fireworks and more. Tickets are available now at CFCTIX.com.