CHATTANOOGA (Interstat) — On Sunday, Chattanooga erased a two-goal deficit and defeated Columbus Crew II after scoring three unanswered goals, capped by Farid Sar Sar’s finish in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn. Chattanooga scored three goals total, while Columbus Crew II scored two. The home side completed a comeback that began before halftime and finished in second-half stoppage time. Chattanooga remained unbeaten in the competition, while Columbus Crew II absorbed its first loss in the competition this season.

Columbus Crew II struck first in the 12th minute when Chase Adams scored. Kevin Gbamble added a second in the 17th minute, with Nicolas Rincon recording assists on both goals. The visitors held that advantage into halftime, though Chattanooga cut into the lead in the third minute of first-half stoppage time when Alex McGrath scored. McGrath played 81 minutes before leaving in the 81st minute. Rincon’s two assists came on the goals by Adams and Gbamble, giving Columbus Crew II a two-goal lead before the midway point of the first half.

Chattanooga pushed level in the 71st minute when Damien Barker scored. Farid Sar Sar then delivered the deciding goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time. The late goal completed a rally that began with McGrath’s first-half stoppage-time strike and continued with Barker’s equalizer. Barker’s goal brought Chattanooga level, and Sar Sar’s late strike gave the home side its first lead of the match.

Chattanooga’s first-half goal came in stoppage time and changed the halftime scoreline. After the break, Chattanooga continued to push for an equalizer and found it through Barker in the 71st minute. Sar Sar’s goal in the fifth minute of second-half stoppage time completed the comeback and left Columbus Crew II with no time to respond. The match finished with Chattanooga scoring three goals and Columbus Crew II scoring two. Columbus Crew II had led by two goals after 17 minutes, but Chattanooga scored once in first-half stoppage time and twice after the break.

Columbus Crew II’s Nyeman received a yellow card in the 80th minute. The substitution list included D. Mangarov and I. Jones for Chattanooga in the 64th minute, P. Forfor for Columbus Crew II in the 70th, J. Salmeron and G. Di Noto for Columbus Crew II in the 76th, and A. McGrath for Chattanooga in the 81st. The two sides combined for five goals, one yellow card and six substitutions. The yellow card was the only booking listed in the match report.

Barker finished with one goal and one assist in 90 minutes, while Sar Sar scored once in 90 minutes. Gbamble and Adams each scored once in 90 minutes for Columbus Crew II, and Rincon recorded two assists in 90 minutes. McGrath scored once in 81 minutes for Chattanooga, and Tate Robertson had one assist in 90 minutes. Barker’s previous recent performance for Chattanooga was a 90-minute outing against Connecticut FC. The key performers for Chattanooga also included Robertson’s assist and McGrath’s goal before his substitution.

Chattanooga’s previous result was a 3-1 home win over Connecticut FC, and Columbus Crew II’s previous result was a 2-1 road win at Crown Legacy. Earlier this season, Chattanooga also beat New York City II 3-1, and Columbus Crew II beat New England Revolution II 2-1. Chattanooga’s record in this competition is now 3 wins and 0 losses, and its record across all competitions is also 3 wins and 0 losses. Columbus Crew II’s record in this competition is now 2 wins and 1 loss, matching its record across all competitions. Those previous results left Chattanooga with a perfect start and Columbus Crew II with two wins from its first three matches.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of Chattanooga 1, Columbus Crew II 1. Interstat’s ELO system had projected Chattanooga with a 79.9 percent probability to win. Chattanooga had been installed as a pregame favorite with a spread of -0.5. The total score of 5 went under the over/under line of 2.5.