Fort Lauderdale CF fell short in their match against the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. The club previously had won two out of their last three games at home but struggled for much of the match while on the road in Tennessee.
The game at CHI Memorial Stadium kicked off at 7 p.m. ET and aired live on ESPN+.
Fort Lauderdale opened the match with a few changes from last weeks’ starting XI; notably absent in the starting lineup was midfielder George Acosta, while forward Josh Penn made his second start for the club, and the 18-year-old defender Harry Neville made his professional debut with the club.
Within the first minute of possession in the game, Chattanooga managed to earn early on a corner kick; an indicator of their offensive prowess that would carry on throughout the match. By the 19th-minute mark, the first goal of the match would be scored by midfielder Angel Espana, off a deflection, as he bypassed two defenders before striking the goal in the 16-yard box and just right outside the outstretched hands of Drake Callender.
Danger continued to loom for the Fort Lauderdale squad for much of the first half as Chattanooga remained assertive. A few substitutions for Fort Lauderdale, including the start of George Acosta in the second half, gave a new spark for the team seeking an equalizer.
By the 72-minute, Acosta nailed a deep corner kick, connecting with Ethan Hardin who headed the ball back across the face of the goal, earning the captain his first professional goal. Although the team savored the tying score, Fort Lauderdale would not be out of the woods yet this evening.
In the 93-minute of added stoppage time, a collision between Fort Lauderdale’s Frank Nodarse and Chattanooga’s Juan Galindrez created a set piece for the opposition that sealed the fate of the match, as the free kick initiated by Ricky Ruiz would set up Jason Ramos in the perfect position inside the 6-yard box. Ramos would go on to chip the ball into the top left of the net, delivering the game winner for the Red Wolves.
Next up for Fort Lauderdale is a bounce-back opportunity on the road against New England Revolution II in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts on Friday, May 28th at 5 p.m. ET.
