Chattahooligans celebrate the Chattanooga Football Club’s 2-0 win over Miami United Football Club Friday at Finley Stadium.Friday evening was a special one for Chattanooga Football Club forward Chris Ochieng.
Why? Because he contributed.
The longest-tenured member of the National Premier Soccer League’s second-ranked team helped create opportunities in the attack all match long — one leading to an assist — and the defense played extremely well in CFC’s 2-0 win over third-ranked Miami United FC at Finley Stadium. That put the hosts in the NPSL South Region championship match tonight at 7:30.
CFC (11-2-2) will play sixth-ranked Tulsa Athletics, who rallied to defeat Upward Stars FC from Greenville, S.C., 4-2 in extra time in the late semifinal.
Injuries prevented Ochieng from playing in some previous key postseason matches, but Friday he started in place of Luke Winter — serving a one-game suspension after being issued a red card in the Southeast Conference championship match against New Orleans — and had some great opportunities early. Ochieng just missed on a shot in the fourth minute, then minutes later dropped a pass to Wil Linder, who took a shot that Miami keeper Peterson Occenat ranged far to his left to save.