CFC goal scorers
(Through 14 matches)Luke Winter - 6Samuel Goni - 4Will Roberts - 4Jon Finlay - 3Juan Hernandez - 3Kieran Bywater - 2John Carrier - 2Sindre Welo - 2David Perez - 1Soren Yuhaschek - 1
Chattanooga FC defender Sindre Welo, right, leads the ball down the sideline ahead of the Chicago Fire's Brody Kraussel during the Hank Steinbrecher Cup championship match at Finley Stadium on May 28.The Chattanooga Football Club defense was a work in progress early in the season.
Lately it has been a piece of art.
Entering its National Premier Soccer League Southeast Conference semifinal against Knoxville tonight at 7:30 at Finley Stadium, Chattanooga FC has had shutouts in six of its last seven matches, the exception being a 1-1 tie against Memphis on June 25.
That string has helped CFC (11-2-1, 9-0-1) become the No. 1 overall seed for the NPSL playoffs, meaning as long as Chattanooga is alive, all matches will be played at Finley Stadium.
Coach Bill Elliott expressed some frustration after the team's 6-2 win over Quinto Elemento in the Hank Steinbrecher Cup semifinals on May 27. He spoke of communication and mental lapses that hadn't yet become much of a problem because CFC was winning.
Part of that lack of communication stemmed from a revamped backfield with five newcomers out of six defenders, with second-year player Jon Finlay being the lone holdover from the 2015 team.
"People see some of the familiar faces from a year ago, or past years on our team, but really we've had a lot of turnover this past year and it's taken a little while to start to find our groove," Elliott said recently. "It's taken a while to settle, but fortunately we were winning games while trying to find the rhythm we hope that we've found now."
Sindre Welo is from Norway. Finlay, Carl Reynolds, Jake Young, Liam Guest and Danny Reynolds - who is back in school at the University of Louisville - are from England. Soren Yuhaschek is from the Netherlands.
All have played at times this season. All have contributed - some to the scoresheet, as CFC defenders have scored six of the team's 29 goals this season. Finlay has three goals, while Welo has two and Yuhaschek one.
"We have big players that can create danger on set plays," Welo said last week. "That's something other teams are on the lookout for. I don't think any team has defenders to chip in like that. It helps a lot of breakdown teams that stay compact, then break them down with a set-piece goal."
Defending midfielder Matt Aldred said that while the early-season struggles were "hard," he feels the team is clicking at the right time.
"We're really starting to kick into gear," he said. "We've just got to keep going. We can't let up; we can't be complacent. We've got to keep working hard.
"We're starting to piece things together offensively. We haven't had a full squad to choose from for most of the season, but I think the lads are starting to realize this could be a special season. We've just got to keep moving forward. The next game is the biggest game."
New Orleans and Memphis City FC will play in the first semifinal at 5. Tonight's winners will meet Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the conference playoffs championship.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.