Late Draw for ATLUTD 2 in Chattanooga

by Madison Crews

Atlanta United 2 took one point home in their road match against southeastern rivals in Chattanooga FC, drawing 2-2 in regulation and losing in the post match shootout for a bonus point in the standings.

The match started out with a bang as Luke Brennan intercepted the ball back from Chattanooga’s goalkeeper Jean Antoine after a bad pass back from their back line, and chipped it into the back of the net in the eighth minute. 

Neither team would find another goal leading into halftime. 

Four minutes into the second half, Chattanooga would find an equalizer as Alex McGrath found Milo Garvaniann who slotted the ball into the bottom right corner of the net.

In the 53rd minute, Chattanooga earned a penalty kick after Jayden Hibbert fouled Jesus Ibarra in the box, but McGrath sent his shot high and bounced off the crossbar. Head Coach Steve Cooke was then shown a straight red card for dissent and will miss the 2s match against Crown Legacy FC May 31st. 

Chattanooga made it 2-1 in the 87th minute when McGrath took a corner and found Ibarra in the box where he flicked a header over the 2s.  

The 2s were able to tie it up in the 93rd minute when Jacob Williams was tripped in the box, and Javier Armas converted the PK for his team-leading fifth goal of the season.

The match would end in a 2-2 draw, and moved to penalty kicks to see who would earn another point. Chattanooga comes out with two points after winning the shootout 5-3, and Atlanta United 2 walks away with a point on the road. 

This was the first point earned by the 2's after trailing in the 2024 season.

ATLUTD 2 is back in action May 31st when they face off against Crown Legacy FC at Fifth Third Stadium. You can listen to the match on Soccer Down Here’s Mixlr channel.