Chattanooga FC drew 0-0 to fellow independent side Carolina Core FC and lost the shootout for the extra point 6-5 at Finley Stadium on Sunday afternoon to extend its unbeaten run to five matches.
CFC remains in a strong position and in contention for a top-four finish in the Eastern Conference as the club now aims for a home playoff spot after clinching a playoff berth earlier in the week.
In what was a fairly even contest, the hosts created the majority of opportunities in the opening half. Tate Robertson, Gavin Turner, Yuval Cohen and Farid Sar-Sar all created dangerous opportunities, while goalkeeper Eldin Jakupović made key saves on the other side of the field throughout the afternoon.
Jakupović still holds the joint-lead at the top of the league for clean sheets this season with eight, while he leads the league in total saves (104).
"I thought we put in a good performance and limited the quality of chances they could create," said Chattanooga FC Head Coach Chris Nugent in his post-match press conference. "We had a lot of good quality shots that we would hope we would finish. We missed some somewhat decent chances, which can happen. I told the team that I'd rather we come out of this game feeling like this than the first playoff game in October. I was pleased with how we played. We stuck to the plan and made it difficult for the opponent. We got in good positions, and I think with a little more confidence around the goal we would've got one or two more shots off either half and that could've impacted the game."
Next up
Chattanooga FC will have a quick turnaround and be on the road for the next two league matches, beginning with Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday, September 24 at 7:30 p.m. ET before heading up to New York for a match against NYCFC II on Sunday, September 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
CFC will close out regular season play at Finley Stadium on Sunday, October 5 at 1:00 p.m. ET against Atlanta United 2 for Soktoberfest and Decision Day. Tickets are on sale now.