After months of preparation and training, Saturday night was a long-awaited showtime for an FC Naples squad that’s been hungry to make its debut in USL League One.
FC Naples took the pitch for the first time in front of over 4,600 fans, delivering a product that many in attendance enjoyed. Chattanooga SC and FC Naples played to a 1-1 draw at the Paradise Coast Sports Complex, each securing a point in league play.
“The fans were incredible,” FC Naples coach Matt Poland said. “They kept us energized and motivated throughout the game. That was great to see. You never know what to expect with the first game with the new club. I think our guys handled the pressure well, kinda let the nerves in those first five minutes flow out, and then it was down to just playing football.”
Many local soccer players were in attendance, along with high school soccer coaches and plenty of those in youth leagues with their parents. Team merchandise was prevalent throughout the Paradise Coast Sports Complex, along with the La Barra 239 band, which was playing from the north end zone for the entirety of play with flags waving behind them.
The Barron Collier boys soccer team, which won the Class 4A state title last month, was honored at halftime for their achievements after becoming just the second Collier County boys soccer program to win a state title.
After a scoreless first-half of action which saw plenty of chances for the home side, it was the Red Wolves which opened the scoring via the leg of Omar Hernandez, who went upper left 90 on the opposite end of the field in the 50th minute.
After continuous chances from FC Naples in the run of play, the home side finally came through. A handball in the box on an attempted slide tackle saw Colombian national Andres Ferrin convert on his chance from the spot, queuing up a crowd that had long awaited to erupt for the squad’s first goal in club history.
“Obviously you wish you were ahead in it, to celebrate that since you were only coming back to a tie,” Poland said. “The resilience from the guys after going down a goal was great. The energy was electric when that goal happened. It was awesome. When you do it on a penalty kick, everyone’s watching and paying attention. It was an incredible moment from the club.”
In the extra time period, FC Naples appeared to have had a game-winning goal on a cross, but it was disallowed by the offsides flag. The crowd erupted albeit briefly, before everyone in attendance knew what the call was. Despite that, Chris Heckenberg felt good about Saturday’s result.
“I think it was really promising,” the FC Naples midfielder said. “In preseason, we didn’t score as many as we would’ve liked, but today, we had six or seven shots, a whole bunch on target. The penalty was obviously very good. It’s really promising for us going into the rest of the season.”
FC Naples will be back in action next Saturday at home against Forward Madison FC, looking to grab its first win in club history. With the way the chances were arising against Chattanooga, the club feels like it can build off of its regular season opener into a win next weekend.
“I think we should have won this game,” Poland said. “I think we did enough. We created enough to take three points out. Once you go down, the resiliency to grind out the draw and not allow another goal is very good. All in all, for a first game, the draw was respectable.”
Follow Sports Reporter Alex Martin on X: @NP_AlexMartin. For the best sports coverage in Southwest Florida, follow @newspresssports and @ndnprepzone on Instagram.
