TFC II fight back, but have to settle for a draw

Two goals in four minutes saw the Young Reds take the lead in Chattanooga on Saturday night, but a late header from Colin Falvey earned a point for the home side.

The first 35 minutes or so were pretty uneventful, with both sides just trading weak shots from the edge of the penalty area.

There was finally a break through in the 38th minute, when Connor Doyle headed the ball in off a corner. He made a run to the near post and with a glancing header, the former D.C. United man managed to beat Caleb Patterson-Sewell at the near post.

Patterson-Sewell got a hand to the ball, but the ball looked to have already crossed the line by that point. He might have lost it in the sun that was low and pointing right at his goal.

Chattanooga would go into the break up 1-0.

In the first half, the commentator mentioned that Jordan Perruzza missed this game because he was going through concussion protocol. He hit his head on the ground after being upended by the FC Tuscon goalkeeper in TFC II’s home opener on May 24th. He also missed their game on May 29th against North Texas SC.

Shaan Hundal returned from his loan with the Ottawa Fury on Saturday. Toronto FC II and Ottawa Fury are yet to announce that he’s been recalled, so it could have just been an emergency recall because of Perruzza’s injury, but there is one thing that seems to imply that the loan with the Fury has been permanently terminated. He is no longer listed on the roster on the Fury website, while fellow Toronto FC loanees Aidan Daniels and Robert Boskovic are still there. He hadn’t seen much playing time in Ottawa, so a permanent recall to Toronto FC II is certainly a possibility.

Hundal came off the bench in the 63rd minute, and made an immediate impact. After the Red Wolves defenders failed to clear a corner in the 69th minute, he pounced on it and volleyed it home from a few yards out.

Toronto would take the lead just four minutes later after an excellent team goal.

Hundal played a long pass down the wing for Luca Petrasso, who ran onto it and passed it across the box with his first touch. Jacob Shaffelburg slid the ball into the net with his first touch at the back post, giving TFC II the 2-1 lead in the 73rd minute.

It looked as though TFC II were going to hold on to all three points, but the Red Wolves took advantage of another corner in the 84th minute.

After another good delivery from Vangjel Zguro, Colin Falvey got his head on the ball and smashed a header off the bottom of the crossbar and into the goal. It was his first goal for the Red Wolves after spending last season with the Ottawa Fury.

With the draw, Toronto FC II’s unbeaten streak is extended to three games. They picked up seven of a possible nine points over 8 days, and sit in third in the league standings. They’ve also jumped up to fourth in the USL League One power rankings.

Their next game is on Saturday, June 8th at the BMO Training Ground against Lansing Ignite FC. This is the only regular season home game this year that isn’t on a weekday, so if you want to come out to a match (as a few readers have expressed interest in doing), that one might be a good option for you.

In the last game between the two sides, on April 26th, TFC II won 2-0 thanks to goals from Luca Petrasso and Adolfo Ovalle.