By a final score of 2-2, the Chattanooga Red Wolves tied AV Alta in their second game of the season.
A grave tone was set immediately in the 1st minute, when AV Alta’s Adam Aoumaich deflected the ball just over Jason Smith with a surprise header. Unbending, the Red Wolves equalized not long after in the 19th minute, when Tobi Adewole executed a superior header from the side of the 6-yard box - it whistled smoothly over Alta’s goalie and crushed the team’s lead.
In the 24th minute, Omar Hernandez pulled off a masterful penalty kick and sent the ball blazing into the goal, establishing an early dominance over the California pitch. Alta would try to measure up with a corner kick in the 33rd, but the Wolves’ defense kept them choked out for the rest of the first half.
As the clock ticked closer and closer to halftime, the Red Wolves made several more aggressive advances into Alta’s third, dumping demoralization onto their enemies. Fifty minutes in, with the shrill voice of the whistle in ear, the score was 2-1 in the Red Wolves’ favor.
Alta remained possession-heavy at the outset of the second half, and their persistence earned them a goal in the 67th minute. Creeping past the 80th, the score remained even. The energy around the pitch became electric, as always happens in those precious final minutes.
The pressure was to move, to score, to bring an end to AV Alta’s notorious draw streak. Ropapa Mensah took a tricky shot in the 89th minute and very nearly scored, but sent the ball just too high and over the crossbar.
The game entered six minutes of stoppage time. Omar Gomez swapped with Wessels, and Matt Bentley with Lombardi. More advances were made, more shots taken, but as the whistle blew, neither team had found a third goal. It was a narrow tie.
The Red Wolves remain a force to be reckoned with, taking one more point with them as they look to the playoffs.