The Chattanooga Red Wolves won an instant US Open Cup Classic at Cashman Field in Las Vegas, NV Wednesday night.
The Red Wolves were victorious 4-3 in a penalty shootout after a 2-2 draw, following a back and forth game that included two penalty kicks in regulation, eight yellow cards, and 30 minutes of extra time. It was the third straight game that saw the Red Wolves advance by penalty kicks. It marks the first time in the tournament’s Modern Era that a team has not only played in three straight shootouts, but won all three.
The Chattanooga Red Wolves got on the board first thanks to a 19th minute goal from striker Zahir Vazquez, who was able to split the Lights defense after being teed up by Kimball Jackson. It was Jackson who received a long ball in the corner of the field and passed it back up top to an unmarked Vazquez to give the Red Wolves a 1-0 lead.
The Lights answered back right before the halftime whistle after a hard tackle in the box on Lights winger Edison Azcona drew a call for a penalty kick, and Azcona took the shot himself, lobbing it straight down the middle and beating a diving Ricardo Jerez Jr. to tie the game at 1-1.
The teams went into the halftime break tied, but also carried four first half yellow cards into the locker room from what was a chippy, foul-filled affair.
The draw did not last long as just three minutes into the second half Chattanooga earned a penalty kick of their own after a foul on midfielder Pedro Hernandez. Just as Azcona did in the first half, Hernandez took the penalty himself, lasering a shot to the bottom left corner and restoring the Red Wolves’ lead 2-1.
The Lights searched unsuccessfully for an equalizer until bringing on Christian Pinzon in the 58th minute. He wasted no time making an impact on the game, uncorking an arching shot from outside the box that screamed past the goalkeeper and tied the game 2-2.
The game remained locked in a stalemate past the full time whistle, and with the neon signs of Las Vegas shining in the background, the teams battled for another thirty scoreless minutes of extra time before the Red Wolves emerged victorious in a penalty shootout.
After the match, Chattanooga manager Scott Mackenzie said of his team, “We knew once we went into extra time that we were winning the game … They weren’t beating us on penalties. Because that’s about mental toughness, and no one is tougher than this group.”
Mackenzie’s Red Wolves will move on to the Fourth Round (Round of 32) for the first time in club history and will take on a Major League Soccer team for the first time. In league play, they have a quick turnaround before playing Greenville Triumph SC in Chattanooga on Saturday, their third game in eight days.
Meanwhile the Las Vegas Lights look to regroup at home this Saturday against FC Tulsa in their next USL Championship matchup.