Steven Beattie put on a spectacular performance Saturday to preserve his soccer team's undefeated record at David Stanton Field.
Beattie provided electricity as the Chattanooga Red Wolves SC captain registered a hat trick for all of his team's scoring in a 3-2 win over the pesky Greenville Triumph SC on a stormy night.
Sito Seoane's corner kick in the 76th minute was deflected right to the Irish forward, who became the first Red Wolves player to score three goals in one game. Chattanooga improved to 5-4-3 overall and into a tie for fourth place in the USL League One standings with 18 points.
Having outscored their opponents 11-6 in matches on Chattanooga Christian School's field, the Red Wolves are now 4-0-2 on their temporary home turf.
"I don't really care who scores," Beattie said. "We showed great character hanging in there after losing a two-score lead. I have been working all week on my finishing after missing a one-on-one (oppportunity) last week against Richmond. I put in hard work, and I took all the chances I could. To get three goals for the first time in Red Wolves history is special."
The former Cork City FC standout and collegiate player of the year flashed his athletic ability for the game's first score in the 18th minute.
Ami Pineda continued his red-hot play, and his masterful touch on a corner kick found Beattie, who took flight over two defenders at the top left of the keeper's box for his first goal. Pineda led all passers with a 93% completion rate on 55 attempts a week after assisting and scoring a goal in the win at Richmond.
"Ami has been great for us and made a great impact in our starting lineup," Beattie said. "He put forth great passes tonight and ran his socks off. We wouldn't have won this game without him."
Just before lightning struck, Beattie also was given another opportunity set up by sturdy defender Tony Walls, who won a battle on the sideline in his own third to pass ahead to striker Juan Mare. Mare chipped a cross to the left side of the box, where a streaking Beattie finished with an impressive left-foot shot past the oncoming keeper for a 2-0 lead in the 38th minute.
Storms in the area delayed action for an hour and 56 minutes.
Greenville (3-6-4) jumped right back into the match with scores from Jake Keegan in the 52nd and 63rd minutes, raising his season scoring total to five goals.
Alex Mangels, however, would not budge from there as the Chattanooga keeper upped his league-leading saves total to 42 with five stops, which included a one-on-one save in the 33rd minute. The Triumph outshot the Red Wolves 21-8.
"Alex has been saving shots left and right this season," Beattie said. "He continues to work hard and lead us in front of the goal. He's been impressive and we love playing in front of him."
The Red Wolves will be home again next Saturday against Richmond with a 7 p.m. kickoff.
CFC dominates
The Chattanooga Football Club won its fifth consecutive match with a dismantling 5-0 road victory over Atlanta SC on Saturday night.
With a dominant attack led by Felipe Oliveira's pair of scores, the CFC defense also notched its fourth shutout in those five matches - in which the club has allowed just one goal.
Contact Patrick MacCoon at pmaccoon@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @PMacCoon.