The Chattanooga Red Wolves closed their home schedule for 2023 by keeping up their steady scoring but had to settle for a tie in Saturday's USL League One match at CHI Memorial Stadium in East Ridge.
Ahead by two goals after 28 minutes and still working on a shutout early in the second half, the Red Wolves had to hold on for a 2-2 result against the playoff-bound Greenville Triumph.
Chattanooga's Jonathan Filipe scored in the 10th minute, and Ropapa Mensah capitalized on Ryley Kraft's assist 18 minutes later to make it 2-0. However, Greenville broke through in the 54th minute, then drew even seven minutes later.
The Red Wolves finished with a 16-15 edge in overall shots, but Greenville had more on target, 7-6.
Greenville, fifth in the 12-team league standings, is now 13-10-8 with 47 points and locked into its spot for the postseason. Forward Madison (11-10-10, 43 points) is sixth, with seventh-place South Georgia Tormenta (12-14-5, 41 points) the only other team still in the running for the final spot in the playoffs.
South Georgia beat Chattanooga in the USL League One final last November, but this year both teams could be done after the regular season wraps up next weekend.
Still, the ninth-place Red Wolves (8-16-7, 31 points) have played their best soccer of the year over the past few weeks, with more success on offense giving them back-to-back wins before the draw versus Greenville. They have 12 goals in their past four matches.
Chattanooga's final match is next Saturday against the Northern Colorado Hailstorm (17-6-8, 59), who have a chance to improve on their current spot of third. Kickoff in Windsor, Colorado, is set for 9 p.m. Eastern.
Compiled by Marty Kirkland. Contact him at mkirkland@timesfreepress.com.