The Women of Asheville defeated the Chattanooga Lady Red Wolves 2-1 in a tight contest at CHI Memorial Stadium. Asheville forward Addie Porter’s first half brace was the difference tonight, as she moves to four goals on the season. 

The Blues had control of much of the first half, building up well from the back and attacking dangerously through the wings. After just eight minutes, Asheville nearly found their first goal of the night when Maison Wells delivered a well-hit cross that Chattanooga’s keeper almost fumbled amidst a crowd of bodies in the box. 

In the 22nd minute, Asheville took the lead on the back of a spectacular trivela by Addie Porter. As the ball flew into the air, Molly Dwyer stood her ground and headed the ball behind to Porter, who took a quick touch on the run and smashed a half volley with the outside of her boot from deep for the Blues first goal of the match. 

Asheville nearly scored again in the 34th minute, this time off a set piece. Positioned near the left sideline, Uruguay U20 international Juliana Viera curled a free kick into the box, which missed everyone and bounced off the left post.  

Just five minutes later, the Women of Asheville recorded their second goal of the match. After dominating Chattanooga in the midfield with quick ball movement and one touch soccer, Lucie Bertrand sliced the defense open with a wonderful through ball to Porter, who, with great skill, took it around the defender and slid it into the bottom right corner for the goal. Her second straight brace would put the Blues up 2-0 at the half

Coming out of halftime, the Lady Red Wolves adjusted their tactics and began to press higher up the field, causing the Blues issues with keeping the ball. Neither side was able to create many chances going forward, as the match transitioned into a more physical game. 

In the 51st minute, Chattanooga almost found their first goal of the night off a free kick. The Lady Red Wolves played a lofted ball into the box, which goalkeeper Adelaide Gay failed to punch out, leaving an open goal for their striker to head the ball into. However, Viera was there to heroically clear the ball off the line, keeping the score at 2-0.

It only took five more minutes for the Lady Red Wolves to finally score their first goal. Following back to back one-twos in the midfield and a through ball out wide, midfielder Zoey Wise took a heavy first touch and lobbed a shot over Gay’s reach into the back of the net. 

The last 30 minutes of the match were nerve-racking to say the least, as Chattanooga continued to push forward. In the 90th minute, their midfielder launched a long-range shot that hit the post and was rebounded in for the last minute equalizer. However, after much discussion, the referees took away the goal due to offsides. 

In the 99th minute, the Lady Red Wolves almost equalized yet again at the death. Following a free kick to the back post, their right winger received the ball and played it into the middle of the box, where it bounced around and fell to an attacker, who quickly struck it against the crossbar. That would be the final chance of the match, as the Blues held on to win 2-1. 

When asked about tonight’s performance, Coach Brooke Bingham stated “we were challenged tonight physically & mentally. The grit of the Asheville City Women’s team pushed us through. THEY BATTLED. & we came out on top. Now we go back to the training pitch and perfect our game. This team has undeniable potential and we are reaching it”. 

The women of Asheville move to 3-1-0 on the season, holding onto second place while tied with Tennessee SC on points. They will face Athens FC at Greenwood Field at 7:30pm on Wednesday.