The Chattanooga Red Wolves stunned second-seeded Union Omaha on Friday night, punching their ticket to the USL League One semifinals with a dramatic 5-4 victory in penalty kicks after a 1-1 draw through 120 minutes of grueling postseason soccer.
As chattanoogaredwolves-sc.com detailed, the tone was set just 30 seconds into the match when Yanis Lelin whipped a cross into the box. Pedro Hernandez met it with the outside of his left foot, burying the opening goal and instantly tilting the pressure toward the home side.
Red Wolves Protect Early Advantage with Strong Defense
That lightning-fast goal gave Chattanooga a crucial advantage they protected for most of regulation. It also played directly into a lingering trend for the club. Coming into the night, the Red Wolves had not lost a single game all season when scoring first.
Omaha fought back hard out of a 4-4-2 formation. Union Omaha peppered the Chattanooga defense, testing goalkeeper Ricardo Jerez and forcing critical defensive interventions. Christian Engmann delivered a perfectly timed tackle in the 33rd minute to break up a dangerous shot from Allen Gavilanes. Moments later, Jerez made a brilliant diving deflection when Botello Faz sent a hard ball goalward.
Despite the relentless pressure, the Red Wolves maintained their 1-0 lead into the halftime break, relying on organization and timely clearances to weather the storm.
The Equalizer and Extra Time
The defensive wall finally cracked in the 67th minute. Diego Gutiérrez found space and placed a clean shot past Jerez, evening the score at 1-1 and erasing Chattanooga’s hard-earned lead.
Neither side could find a winner through the remainder of regulation, forcing 30 minutes of extra time. Even deep into the extra period, Chattanooga showed remarkable stamina. Lelin and Josh Ramos engineered dangerous chances in the opening minute of extra time, but tactical fouls and desperate defending kept the score deadlocked.
After two hours of exhaustive play, the scoreboard still read 1-1. The match came down to a penalty shootout.
Deciding It From the Spot
The pressure mounted instantly in penalties. Matt Bentley stepped up first for Chattanooga, calmly converting. Joshua Hallenberger, Aaron Lombardi, and Yanis Lelin followed suit, though Matt Acosta missed his attempt.
With the shootout tied 4-4, Jerez came up with a massive save to keep Omaha at bay. That brought the Chattanooga goalkeeper himself to the penalty spot. Jerez rocketed his shot past Omaha goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu. When Jerez turned around and blocked Omaha’s next effort, the upset was complete.
The 5-4 shootout win sends the Red Wolves forward in the postseason hunt. Founded in 2018 by Bob Martino, the professional club is chasing its first league title in USL League One history.
Next Up in the Semifinals
Chattanooga now prepares for the USL League One semifinals next weekend. They will face AC Boise, with kickoff scheduled to air live on ESPN+.
