Chattanooga Red Wolves SC came from behind to beat Fort Wayne FC 1–2 on the road Saturday, with Greyson Mercer's 82nd-minute strike proving the difference. Ryan Becher had given the hosts the lead in the first half, but goals from Yanis Lelin and Mercer turned the contest on its head.
The early exchanges were scrappy. Tobi Adewole picked up a booking for Chattanooga in the 13th minute, and Fort Wayne's Michael Rempel followed him into the referee's notebook two minutes later. The home side broke the deadlock on the half-hour mark when Becher finished from a Javier Armas feed to make it 1–0 heading into the break.
Chattanooga responded quickly after the interval. Just four minutes into the second half, Lelin equalized with a well-taken effort, getting on the end of a Ropapa Mensah pass to level the score at 1–1. The goal coincided with further frustration for Fort Wayne — Armas, the first-half assist provider, was cautioned moments later.
The game looked destined for a draw until Mercer struck eight minutes from time. Clarence Awoudor had been booked for Fort Wayne just a minute earlier, and the hosts could not recover from the sucker punch. The final minutes grew increasingly ill-tempered, with three more yellow cards dished out in stoppage time — two to Fort Wayne players and one to Chattanooga's Michael Knapp — as the home side chased an equalizer that never came.
The result gives Chattanooga a valuable three points on the road and leaves Fort Wayne searching for answers after surrendering a lead at home.
USL League One