For the second straight week, the Atlanta Soccer Club were issued a red card. Against the Revolution the week prior, it was an accumulation of two yellow cards by Mohamed "Lamin" Gerewou close to the 60-minute mark. This week, it was center back Ebrima Njie in the 24th minute that received a straight red after a collision with Asheville captain Jamie Smith on a corner kick. The call resulted in Chris Allan converting a penalty for the visitors and Asheville City ultimately went on to a 3-1 victory Saturday night.

Another intimate, yet feisty crowd joined the boys in peach and black at Saint Francis High School Saturday evening. Fans were excited to see the progress made by the attack that was still gelling together. Captain Sheriff Suma, Prince Saydee, Frantz-Rooby Dalusma, and a band of others continued to show their technical ability, but it was after the red card-turned-penalty situation that Atlanta began to throttle up the offensive jets.

The home sides best chances came as they played down a man, forcing Asheville goalkeeper Pijus Petkevicius to make a number of saves. Their best opportunity came in the additional minutes of the first half. Saydee beat his defender on the edge of the 18-yard box and served a pass across the front of the goal to Suma. The captain's redirection found the chest of the Asheville goalkeeper, only to rebound back to Thierry Jules for an immediate rebound chance. Petkevicius made the second stop and kept Atlanta from equalizing before the break.

After half time, it was more of the same offensive pressure from the 10-man Atlanta side. That pressure culminated in the 55th minute, when Asheville played a ball back to their Lithuanian goalkeeper. Midfielder David Medeiros, turning in another technically sound performance from the attacking midfield position, pressured Petkevicius as he attempted to connect with a teammate from the edge of the area. The errant pass landed at the foot of Dalusma. The Haitian product dribbled towards the edge of the box as the Asheville goalkeeper scrambled to get back in position. Rooby's 25-yard rocket soared beyond the outstretched arm of Petkevicius and leveled the match at one apiece.

Atlanta continued to play an aggressive style, despite the disadvantage of numbers on the field. This resulted in more and more prime opportunities for the visitors from North Carolina. It was a Ross Fitzpatrick lofted ball in the 64th minute that snuck above the diving GK Thomas DeBladis and just below the crossbar that lifted Asheville back to the lead.

Asheville City continued to bring pressure, as Atlanta began to show signs of fatigue after playing nearly 70 minutes down a man. In the 84th minute, it was the penalty scorer Allan serving a ball into the box for Frank Rosenwald. His header beat DeBladis, only to carom high off the crossbar. The ball dropped back in front of the Atlanta net, where the French goalkeeper was rushing to get to his feet after the initial save attempt. Rosenwald tapped in the second chance to double Asheville's lead and secure the victory.

Atlanta SC will look to take advantage of an extended break before their next contest, May 31st at Greenville FC. After the 13-day break, Atlanta will endure three road matches in 13-days in visits to Greenville, Georgia Revolution, and Chattanooga FC. The peach and black return to St. Francis on Saturday, June 15th as they host Greenville FC. Kickoff is set for 7:30 PM and tickets will be on sale at the gate. For more team info, stay tuned to atlsoccerclub.com as well as the team social channels.