The Charleston Battery suffered defeat on the road against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, 2-0, on Saturday at Weidner Field. Charleston were unable to overcome the Colorado Springs defense and goals on either side of halftime by the hosts made the difference.
The Battery, however, still clinched a spot in the 2024 playoffs with the combination of other results around the league. It’s another important milestone achievement for the club as their Eastern Conference title defense is officially on.
Charleston and Colorado Springs kicked off over a mile above sea level and with ample playoff implications for both clubs in the match.
Colorado Springs managed to strike first in the 14th minute to take a 1-0 lead. Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis made a save on the initial shot by Yosuke Hanya but Justin Dhillon was narrowly onside to tap in the rebound.
The Battery looked to get back into the game and began to make more significant progress into Colorado Springs’ defensive half of the field. They also dominated possession, holding over 73% possession in the time after goal through the half-hour mark. Despite the effective ball movement, Charleston were unable to record a shot on target before halftime.
Switchbacks FC took the 1-0 lead into the break.
Charleston came out of halftime looking to change the state of play with Leland Archer and Arturo Rodriguez entering off the bench.
Juan David Torres recorded the Battery’s first shot in the 59th minute, a thundering strike that stung the gloves of goalkeeper Christian Herrera. The play represented some of Charleston’s best movements to that point, moving from the right to the left while opening up the Switchbacks FC defense.
Colorado Springs added a second goal in the 73rd minute when Ronaldo Damus converted from the penalty spot. The infraction was for a handball on Nick Markanich that appeared to go off his knee and chest, but appeals to the referee were unsuccessful.
Charleston’s efforts for a comeback bid fell short as Switchbacks FC saw out the 2-0 result.
Despite the loss, Charleston punched their ticket to the playoffs thanks to North Carolina FC losing their match against Memphis 901 FC. The math works out in the Battery’s favor as 11th place North Carolina’s maximum points is capped at 55 points, below the Battery’s 56.
The Battery’s record moves to 16W-5L-8D (56pts), placing them in second place and 10 points clear of the Tampa Bay Rowdies in third place, who are also next week’s opponent.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and midfielder Chris Allan discussed the match after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his takeaways from the match…
We need to be honest, that performance wasn’t anywhere good enough, and it was mainly our work ethic. I thought we learned from the first half against Sacramento, but we weren’t good enough. You can’t go to Colorado Springs, a good team, at one of the tougher places to play and get outworked. We knew exactly what they wanted to do and how we needed to be willing to go for some second balls. All game long, they beat us on the duels and the second balls, and they just kept going. So, fair credit Colorado Springs, they completely outplayed us and outworked us.
There weren’t many positives in that game. The only one for me was, I’ll give Arturo Rodriguez credit. I thought he came on and was a warrior in the second half.
Coach Pirmann on turning the page to Tampa Bay next week…
The biggest thing is we can’t worry about Tampa Bay yet, we’ve got to worry about ourselves. We’ve got to train harder, be more focused and have attention to details. If you don’t outwork your opponent, you aren’t going to win. There isn’t a team in this league that you can just show up and beat.
Coach Pirmann on securing the playoff spot despite the result…
Goal number one is to make the playoffs. Goal number two is to do the best we can and arrive in certain positions. Yes, I’m happy for the club. I’m happy, more importantly, for our supporters. They deserve it. It’s more of a product of what we’ve done for the other games this season.
Allan last name on his assessment of the match…
We need to look at ourselves, individually in our job roles, and ask ourselves, ‘how hard are we working, and are we doing the right things and taking the information on board.’ This is the main reflection. Then on the field, making decisions and correcting things during live play. We just got to be a little bit smarter and make quicker decisions.
It’s a tough place to play, the altitude, the dry air, the high energy. They love to press and I think we didn’t turn it around enough. Just to reiterate it, I think there was a little bit of a hard-working element that I think they picked up too many duels, second balls and got the better of us.
Allan on the team punching their ticket to the postseason…
Securing a playoff spot is huge. It’s the first thing we think about, coming back home and playing in front of fans and putting a smile back on their face. It’s the silver line for sure, but certainly it’s a time for reflection going forward ahead of Tampa Bay next weekend.
The Battery return home for the next match on Sat., Sept. 21, to host the Tampa Bay Rowdies for Hispanic Heritage Night at Patriots Point. Tickets for the game are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups and Scoring Summary
Lineups:
CHS: Grinwis, Drack (Archer, 46’), Dossantos (Crawford, 83’), Smith, Segbers, Allan, Chapman (Conway, 74’), Ycaza (Rodriguez, 46’), Torres, Markanich, Myers (Saydee, 74’)
COS: Herrera, Lacroix, Pierre, Mahoney, Rocha, Williams, Zandi (Mrowka, 84’), Hanya (Henriquez, 75’), Magee (Echevarria, 74’), Fjeldberg (Tejada, 55’), Dhillon (Damus, 55’)
Scoring Summary:
COS – Justin Dhillon, 14’
COS – Ronaldo Damus, 73’
