Markus Naglestad produced a thrilling moment Saturday night at Finley Stadium to help the Chattanooga Football Club remain undefeated in the National Independent Soccer Association this season.
A minute into added time at the end of the match, Naglestad drilled a 28-yard free kick from the left sideline over a wall of four leaping defenders and past the diving Club De Lyon keeper into the left side of the net to make it 1-1, which is where the score remained when the match wrapped up minutes later as a draw to give each team a point in the standings.
Naglestad celebrated with a running first pump and ran to the sideline to the open arms of coach Rod Underwood for an embrace. The reigning NISA MVP's electric goal was his league-high eighth of the season for Chattanooga FC (7-0-3, 26 points), and Naglestad now has 33 goals over the past three seasons with CFC.
Club De Lyon (3-4-2, 11 points) scored off a free kick in the 63rd minute but could not become the first NISA team to earn three points against Chattanooga this season. The first-year NISA pro team from Orlando, Florida, is sixth in the nine-team league.
CFC now has a goal differential of 17-3 against league opposition and will return to action next weekend, hosting the fourth-place Los Angeles Force (4-1-2) at 7:30 p.m. Saturday.
It will be the second match of a doubleheader at Finley Stadium, with the CFC women hosting Soda City FC of Columbia, South Carolina, at 4:30 p.m.
Compiled by Patrick MacCoon. Contact him at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com.