Chattanooga FC Women defeated Arlington Soccer Blue 3-1 at RavenTek Park on Saturday evening to advance to the WPSL South Region Final for the first time in club history.
A penalty from Hannah Tillett and a brace scored by Annick Lolita Manga Zouma saw CFC come from behind to ultimately secure the victory and a historic result for the program, which sees the club become one of just eight left standing in the nation.
Chattanooga dominated the early stages of the match, however Arlington Soccer Blue took the lead in the 18th minute when Logan Tongberg converted a penalty kick after the referee awarded the spot-kick at the end of an Arlington counter-attack.
Heads did not drop in Chattanooga's camp and CFCW responded positively to the early setback. Manga Zouma nearly equalized with a header, but it sailed just wide.
The crucial turning point of the match occurred in the 40th minute when Arlington defender Emma Cordero denied Chattanooga a goal with her hand and received a straight red card. Chattanooga FC midfielder Hannah Tillett converted the resulting penalty and crucially equalized for CFC.
It took less than two minutes for CFC to go in front as Manga Zouma scored from close range after a recycled corner-kick and put her team in front right before the break.
The second half was delayed due to lightning in the area, but when play resumed CFC continued to dominate play, and within seven minutes of the restart, Manga Zouma had her brace.
Grace Ambrose, who was making her debut, put tremendous pressure on Arlington's backline and ultimately won the ball back in a dangerous area before playing a beautifully-weighted pass for Manga Zouma to slot home to make it 3-1 on the evening.
With the player advantage, CFC continued to dictate play and Head Coach Juan Hernandez was able to showcase the depth of his team with the majority of the travelling squad getting minutes and ultimately securing a historic victory for the club.
"Playoff games are chaotic in a lot of ways and when you go down 1-0 and react the way we reacted, the team showed its mental strength tonight," said Hernandez. "The team showed its unity and they kept pushing. The goals came from a lot of work that we've done behind the scenes.
"Our players showed how they can solve problems during a match. We were able to rotate a lot. Some players were playing in positions they weren't used to but they followed instructions and they showed their discipline. There were little puzzles we were solving throughout the match.
"We're earned this opportunity. The athletes have worked hard for this. We are where we need to be and now tomorrow we have to finish the job and come home with a trophy."
CFC will now look forward to a massive WPSL South Region Final against the winner between McLean Soccer and LA Krewe Rush at RavenTek Park in Leesburg on Sunday evening, July 13th at 6:00 p.m. ET.
The club will be hosting an official CFC double-header watch party at Clever Alehouse in Red Bank on Sunday with the men's MLS NEXT Pro match at Philadelphia Union II broadcast at 3:00 p.m. followed by the WPSL South Region Final at 6:00 p.m.