CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery lost, 3-1, to FC Montreal Saturday night at MUSC Health Stadium ending the team’s eight-game unbeaten streak.
In what was a sloppy first 25 minutes, FC Montreal looked the better side. The visitors pressed high early on and the Battery, coming off a 10-day break, looked a little rusty. Charleston’s passing lacked its usual consistency and its typically razor-sharp counter attack looked dull.
The visitors opened the scoring in the 39th minute through Anthony Jackson-Hamel. A tight one-two played at the top of Charleston’s box sprung Ballou Jean Yves Tabla free inside the Battery penalty area. Tabla took a touch towards goal, forcing Shawn Ferguson and goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper to collapse on him, and played a ball across to Jackson-Hamel who tucked it into the empty net.
Charleston came out of the halftime break on the front foot, searching for an equalizer. Montreal goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau made several big saves throughout the match to help his side to three points.
Just as the field seemed to be tilting in Charleston’s favor, Montreal scored another goal to double its lead. A Battery turnover in the defensive third resulted in Tabla getting free at the top of the box. The 17-year old found himself with time and space made no mistake, smashing the ball past Odisnel Cooper in the 64th minute.
Following the goal, Charleston pressed hard and threw numbers forward searching for a chance to cut into the deficit. The Battery finally broke through in the 77th minute. Substitute Dante Marini played a long looping cross to the back post, forcing Crepeau to tip it on. The goalkeeper’s tip fell to Maikel Chang who had two chances at it, but ultimately finished, cutting the visitor’s lead in half.
Down one goal at home and feeling the momentum against a Montreal team that played five games in 15 days, the Battery looked primed to grab an equalizer in the final ten minutes, but it was the visitors who found the back of the net again. Charleston failed to clear a ball near its penalty area and Louis Beland Goyette picked it up and slotted it past Cooper, putting the game out of reach.
“Our focus coming off the break was to start well, but we conceded early in the first half,” said Battery Captain Shawn Ferguson following the loss. “We had decent scoring opportunities, but unfortunately those chances didn’t go our way tonight. Definitely a frustrating night for everyone.”
The Battery will look to rebound on Wednesday when the team travels to Richmond. The clash with the Kickers is vital in terms of top four positioning; following tonight’s results, Richmond has a two-point jump on Charleston for fourth place.
Box Score:
CHARLESTON BATTERY: Odisnel Cooper, Quinton Griffith, Shawn Ferguson, Forrest Lasso (Chris Tsonis, 77th), O’Brian Woodbine, Zach Prince (Heviel Cordoves, 69th), Justin Portillo, Ataulla Guerra, Maikel Chang (goal, 78th), Romario Williams (Dante Marini, 77th), Ricky Garbanzo (yellow card, 11th) (Jeffery Otoo, 58th)
Unused subs: Emmanuel Adjetey, Alex Tambakis, Neveal Hackshaw
FC MONTREAL: Maxime Crepeau, Zachary Sukunda (yellow card, 12th) (Fabrice Mbvouvouma, 90th), Kyle Fisher, Janouk Charbonneau, Louis Beland Goyette (C) (goal, 85th), Marco Dominguez-Ramirez (Jems Geffrad, 90th), Mastanabal Kacher, Ballou Jean Yves Tabla (goal, 64th) (Philippe Lincourt-Joseph, 73rd), Alessandro Riggi (Heikel Jarras, 83rd), Anthony Jackson-Hamel (goal, 39th)
Unused subs: David Paulmin, Nevelo Yoseke, Pierre Lamouthe
