The Charleston Battery defeated FC Tulsa 1-2 on Saturday at ONEOK Field thanks to another match-winning goal in the second half, this time by Dante Polvara. Nick Markanich grabbed his fourth goal of the season in the fourth minute, but the hosts quickly responded to level score at 1-1 moments later. Polvara rose to the occasion and scored the winner in the 50th minute. Goalkeeper Trey Muse recorded a season-high six saves in the win.
The victory was the Battery’s third consecutive in league action as the undefeated Black and Yellow return to the Lowcountry in first place of the Eastern Conference standings.
A pair of undefeated runs were on the line in this contest, as the Battery were yet to lose a game in 2023 and Tulsa were yet to lose at home in 2023.
The night got off to a fast start with the Battery striking first in the 4th minute via Nick Markanich, assisted by Derek Dodson. Markanich initiated the play from the edge of the box by laying the ball off to Dodson, and Dodson then reconnected with Markanich right in front of the goal. From there, Markanich needed only one touch to redirect the ball past two Tulsa players and into the net.
Despite the Battery striking first, Tulsa managed to equalize in the 14th minute when Marcus Epps scored Tulsa’s first goal. Goalkeeper Trey Muse kept Tulsa at bay in the 27th minute with a save on a point-blank shot from Moses Dyer.
Muse would come up big again in the 42nd minute with another save, denying Epps this time. Charleston and Tulsa went into the interval tied at 1-1.
Charleston entered the second half eager to reclaim their lead. Dante Polvara stepped up and scored what proved to be the match-winning goal in the 50th minute. The Battery had driven into Tulsa’s defensive third and the hosts were unable to clear the ball. Polvara collected Tulsa’s half clearance and slotted the ball inside the far post from the edge of the box. The goal was the first of Polvara’s professional career.
Following Polvara’s breakthrough goal, the Battery tightened their grip on the match to see out the victory. Muse continued to rise to the occasion and deny Tulsa from entering his goal, making a big save in the 72nd minute. The shot-stopper registered a season-high six saves on the night.
The final whistle sounded after four tense minutes of stoppage time and the Battery secured a 1-2 victory over Tulsa, the Black and Yellow’s first-ever at ONEOK Field. The win was also the Battery’s fourth in 12 days, across all competitions, as the team sits alone atop the Eastern Conference standings. The 4W-0L-2D mark is Charleston’s best start to the season since 2015, when the side went seven games unbeaten to start the year.
After the match, Head Coach Ben Pirmann and defender AJ Paterson discussed the victory, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his takeaways from this victory…
I’m so proud of our guys, I’m proud of our club. Those 19 guys on this trip showed unbelievable professionalism, unbelievable approach. What they did was very difficult. We were so tired, so dead and they just stuck together. To win two on the road against two top teams and a team who hadn’t lost in six months at home, I think that’s top performance for our guys. They showed grit, they showed hunger, they showed fight.
Coach Pirmann on going into the second half looking for a match-winner…
We started out great [in the first half] and then took our foot off the gas. It was a silly goal to concede. We were making silly decisions and not being sharp, maybe that was tired legs or tired minds.
Then we said at halftime ‘we have 45 minutes to win four games in 12 days.’ We wanted to have that focus and we went back to the basics. We went back to the things that make us a solid team, which is being selfless in possession and really pressuring our opponent. We did that and we got the lead with a great goal by Dante [Polvara] off the counter-press. We really had to dig in deep. Every player did a great job.
Coach Pirmann on preparation for next weekend’s home game…
Our guys are dead, so we’ve got to rest. Then we’ll come back after a couple of days and focus on improving. It’ll be a tough game against the team that’s reached the Eastern Conference Final eight-straight times [on Saturday], then we’ll just take it one game at a time from there. The biggest thing is to reflect, look in the mirror and analyze. We’ll just keep pushing from there.
Paterson on the squad’s mindset heading into the second half…
We weren’t happy with conceding. We knew if we continued to battle and play our game we’d find the back of the net again. We showed a lot of character and that winner came to fruition as a result.
Paterson on the team winning all four matches in the 12-day run of games…
Everyone loves to win. But to do it during a stretch of difficult games in a short period of time makes it that much better. It’s taken the full attention and effort from every single guy on this team to accomplish this feat.
Paterson on building upon this success for the next match, at home against Louisville…
We’ll be looking back at the mistakes we’ve made as individuals and as a collective that led us to conceding goals. We’re happy to have won these games but we weren’t perfect, so we’re always looking to improve. We’ve enjoyed these wins and have celebrated but now all of our focus and energy is on the next game, and that’s against a very good Louisville side right at home.
After two thrilling wins on the road, the Battery return home on Sat., April 22, for a match against Louisville City FC. That game will be followed by a Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match on Tues., April 25, and a regular season match on Sat., April 29, all at Patriots Point. Tickets are available for all three matches via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Scoring Summary
CHS – 4’ Markanich (Dodson)
TUL – 14’ Epps (Yosef)
CHS – 50’ Polvara
Lineups:
CHS: Muse, Wynne, Paterson (C), Archer, Allan, Polvara (Crawford, 77’), Barajas (Trager, 62′), Dodson, Williams, Markanich (Cochran, 87’), Rodríguez (Apodaca, 77’)
TUL: Nelson, Levis (Pearson, 85’), Corrales (Worth, 81’), Bourgeois (C), Tetteh, Ferri (Haji, 81’), Fernandez (Bird, 71’), Epps (Suarez, 71’), Da Costa, Yosef, Dyer
