The women of Chattanooga FC fell just short against a stacked Alabama FC side in the first game of Saturday’s double header at Finley Stadium. The scoreline was a marked improvement over the 3-0 loss in the reverse fixture and reflective of a CFC side that is growing in cohesion and confidence.

The two sides sent in the same number of shots, but Alabama FC created just a few more dangerous chances and were able to convert. Alabama FC’s raw xG was 2.031 but combining the triple chance that led to goal number two (0.091, 0.34, and 0.896 all combined to a 0.938 chance of at least one going in) brings them to 1.642 xG.

The CFC women seemed to emphasize possession, holding onto the ball well even into the opposition half, but without finding much possession or opportunity in the final stretch of the pitch. Alabama FC was happy to absorb pressure, win the ball back, and push it forward quickly, relying on pacey strikers that were camped on the shoulders of the back line. CFC’s offside trap worked a majority of the time, but Alabama’s first goal came from a perfectly timed run exploiting the space behind the back line.

The damage was done in the first half for Alabama FC. I’m not sure if tactics changed or legs got tired, but Chattanooga opened things up in the second half, but still was unable to pull back two goals.

For me, Jacqueline Montes was the deserved woman of the match after a goal and a great shift up top. Listening to the commentary, that Alabama FC team was truly stacked and we should be proud to be in the game all the way to the final whistle. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this squad!

For less stats and more narrative of how the game played out, visit the CFC website.