Markus Naglestad's conversion of a penalty kick after being fouled in the box was the difference Saturday night for the Chattanooga Football Club, which defeated AC Syracuse 2-1 at Finley Stadium to maintain its hold on first place in the National Independent Soccer Association's East Division.
Naglestad's 10th goal of the year was paired with Greg Stratton's first-half score for Chattanooga FC, which improved to 8-2-3 overall and 7-1-3 in league competition and now holds an eight-point standings advantage over the Michigan Stars FC (4-2-4). Syracuse dropped to 2-8-2.
CFC is unbeaten in eight straight matches, with no losses since falling 1-0 to Flower City Union on April 30 at Finley. CFC returns to competition on July 16, facing Flower City in Rochester, New York.
Compiled by Gene Henley. Contact him at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.