The Chattanooga Red Wolves have made week-to-week consistency on the soccer field a priority, and their success in that regard has them in the thick of the hunt for the USL League One regular-season title.
The Red Wolves (8-5-7) are third in the league standings and four points behind first-place North Texas SC (10-4-5), and now coach Tim Hankinson's team will look to take down the top dog for the second time in three weeks. Chattanooga beat North Texas 1-0 on Aug. 3 at David Stanton Field, and the teams meet there again at 7 p.m. Saturday.
In order to earn three points in the standings and extend a season-long undefeated streak at home to 11 games, the Red Wolves will have to overcome the absence of midfielder Steven Beattie. The team captain must sit out this match due to yellow-card accumulation.
"To win the league and get a championship, you need all the players at some point throughout the season," said forward Sito Seoane, a 13th-year professional who shot past four defenders last Saturday to score his third goal of the season in a 2-1 victory over South Georgia Tormenta in Statesboro.
"We knew after the first four months or so we were going to keep consistency and other teams were going to drop," Seoane said of the first-year Red Wolves, who opened the season with a 3-2 loss to North Texas in Frisco. "You try to keep the same level and improve it towards the end. We all have to push each other and hopefully continue to peak at the right time."
The Red Wolves' temporary home at Chattanooga Christian School has been a tough venue for opponents, with Chattanooga outscoring its visitors 16-10, and goalkeeper Alex Mangels and Co. will try to maintain that reputation against North Texas. Nicholas Amponsah has been a stable force on the back line for the Red Wolves, and Tony Walls and Vangjel Zguro have been key forces at the right and left back positions, respectively.
The Red Wolves have just one defeat in their past 12 matches and did not lose a game from May 25 to July 27.
In his debut for Chattanooga last week, Greg Hurst had the game-winning assist on Josue Soto's goal in the final 10 minutes. Hurst and Eamon Zayed will be counted on to help spur the attack again.
"It's been a team effort," said Walls, a former Major League Soccer player. "This is a vital part of the year, and everyone is coming together. Every game I try to not let anything get in behind my corner. I try to do my job and lead the team the best I can. This is a special group capable of winning some hardware."
The North Texas roster features speed and youth, including such rising stars as 16-year-old Ricardo Pepi - who has already played two matches for FC Dallas of MLS - and 19-year-old Ronaldo Damus, who leads the league with nine scores and was out due to injury in the last meeting in Chattanooga.
In that match, Beattie's conversion of a penalty kick set up by Seoane and Walls was the difference.
"You are as good as you are at home," Seoane said. "We have been taking advantage of this field. When games are determined by small details, when you have more experience, that shows in those moments. We hope to continue doing that and land another major three points."
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.