(NashvilleSC.com, 09.26.18)

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Nashville SC earned its first road win in almost four months, defeating Atlanta United 2 on Wednesday night at Coolray Field for the regular season sweep. SC’s 2-0 victory earned it three valuable points to catapult them into playoff position.

Despite rainy conditions, Nashville’s offense found a way to continually test Atlanta’s back line, peppering 13 shots, putting four on frame, while its defense earned the squad’s 14th clean sheet of the season.

90 in a nutshell

Nashville was the aggressor early, coming out with an urgency to earn points on the road with just a few games left in the regular season. SC wasted no time getting on the board when midfielder Ish Jome rocketed a shot in the seventh minute that forced Atlanta’s keeper to lay out and punch the ball away. Forward Ropapa Mensah then one-touched the rebound and found the back of the net, putting SC up 1-0.

The back-and-forth play continued until SC tacked on an insurance goal. In the 64th minute, Mensah found some space on the left side and took a strike from 20 yards out, forcing the ATL UTD 2 keeper to come off his line and make a save. Meanwhile, forward Tucker Hume came streaking up the middle and was there to knock the rebound past the Atlanta keeper and a host of defenders to put Nashville up 2-0.

Even though Atlanta continued to push on its offensive end, Nashville’s defense held strong for the remainder of the match, securing three crucial road points.

Quotable

Nashville SC forward Ropapa Mensah

“It was really good to get back on the scoresheet once again because this stretch has been very frustrating for me. I’m really excited to get things going again.”

Key Stat

Wednesday night’s victory marked Nashville’s third road victory of the season and the first in 119 days. SC’s last road win came on May 30 with a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at Highmark Stadium.

Eastern Conference Update

With tonight’s win, Nashville now has 43 points in the Eastern Conference standings. SC jumped from 11th place to 8th place, putting itself in playoff position heading into the final four games of the regular season. Nashville sits just one point behind seventh place Ottawa Fury FC and two points behind Bethlehem Steel FC, who is currently in sixth place.

Up Next

Nashville SC returns to First Tennessee Park for a critical match against New York Red Bulls II on Saturday, September 29. Kickoff is slated for 7:30 p.m.