Scoring has rarely been a problem for the Chattanooga Red Wolves this year.
In the recently completed USL League One regular season, their 52 goals trailed only Richmond (54), and they also were comparatively efficient with their attacks, converting on 18% percent of their shots for third in the league behind Richmond (22%) and Charlotte (19%).
The Red Wolves were sometimes guilty of bunching up their offensive success, having as many matches in which they scored three or more goals — it happened six times, including a 7-1 win against Charlotte in June to set a league record for single-game goals — as they did matches in which they were held scoreless. Relatively speaking, though, a goal was usually around the corner for Chattanooga, and that’s a big reason why the team never panicked much if it had to play from behind.
But the postseason is a different animal in any sport, and it’s highly unlikely the fourth-seeded Red Wolves (12-11-7) will be able to rely solely on that offensive prowess to carry them beyond their first-round playoff match against fifth-seeded Union Omaha (10-7-13), the 2021 league champion, at 7:30 p.m. Saturday at CHI Memorial Stadium in East Ridge.
No. 3 South Georgia (12-9-9) hosts No. 6 Charlotte (12-12-6) in the other first-rounder, with Saturday’s winners hitting the road for next week’s semifinals. In those Oct. 29 matches, regular-season champ Richmond (14-7-9) will face the lowest remaining seed and No. 2 Greenville (12-8-10) will take on the other first-round winner.