Cincinnati, OH – The Charleston Battery came from behind to earn a 1-1 draw against FC Cincinnati in front of 19,000 fans at Nippert Stadium Saturday night.
Substitute Heviel Cordoves scored a 70th-minute equalizer for the Battery 12 minutes after checking into the match. The center forward rose up to meet Maikel Chang’s inswinging corner, flicking it past Cincinnati goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt. The goal was the second time in as many games that the two Cubans linked up to earn points for their side.
After the two teams traded chances back and forth to no avail through the first 45 minutes, Cincinnati broke the deadlock seven minutes into the second half. Shortly after veteran center back Taylor Mueller exited the match due to injury, Omar Cummings received a pass just inside the penalty area and curled a first-time shot around Alex Tambakis to the back post.
The Battery ramped up the pressure following Cordoves’ equalizer and looked the team more likely to find a game-winner. Chris Tsonis connected with a Quinton Griffith cross immediately after checking into the match, but the forward’s header rocketed off the crossbar. Hildebrandt made several big saves throughout the match and down the stretch to preserve a point for FCC.
The draw extends Charleston’s unbeaten streak to seven games, with the team’s last loss coming on June 11th. The match against FCC concludes the Battery’s toughest stretch this season. In a four game span in July, Charleston played the top three teams away from home, ending the difficult run with six points.
Following back-to-back road matches, the Battery returns home to face Carolina rivals Charlotte Independence at MUSC Health Stadium this coming Wednesday. Charleston will then get a much-needed ten days rest before its first match this season with last place FC Montreal.
Box Score:
Attendance: 19,229
CHARLESTON BATTERY: Alex Tambakis, Quinton Griffith, Taylor Mueller (Forrest Lasso, 50th; yellow card, 63rd), Shawn Ferguson, O’Brian Woodbine, Maikel Chang, Justin Portillo, Ataulla Guerra , Zach Prince (Dante Marini, 66th), Romario Williams (Chris Tsonis, 83rd), Ricky Garbanzo (Heviel Cordoves, 58th; goal, 70th)
Unused subs: Odisnel Cooper, Emmanuel Adjetey, Neveal Hackshaw
FC CINCINNATI: Mitch Hildebrandt, Derek Luke, Austin Berry, Harrison Delbridge (yellow card, 68th), Tyler Polak, Corben Bone, Omar Cummings (goal, 52nd) (Luke Spencer, 89th), Andrew Wiedeman, Eric Stevenson (Omar Mohamed, 82nd), Jimmy McLaughlin, Sean Okoli (Francisco Narbon, 71st)
Unused subs: Dallas Jaye, Evan Lee, Pat McMahon, Ross Tomaselli