The Charleston Battery fell 0-1 to Oakland Roots SC at Patriots Point on Friday in the first meeting between the two sides. The Battery commanded the majority of the action on the field but an own goal right before halftime was enough to secure the win for the visitors. The loss snapped Charleston’s five-game unbeaten run.
Charleston tested Oakland early by making numerous advances into the final third but the visitors managed to withstand the pressure. The Battery fired off six shots in the first half-hour, compared to one from Roots SC.
After a strong save in the 41st minute by goalkeeper Trey Muse, Oakland struck first in the same minute on the following play via an own goal off Derek Dodson.
Oakland took the 0-1 lead into the break, despite the Battery holding the lion’s share of shots, possession and passes in the opposition’s half.
The Battery came out of the break on the front foot as they pressed for an equalizer. Nick Markanich and halftime-substitute Tristan Trager led the charge up top and each registered a shot in the first five minutes of the half. The Battery held nearly 68% of possession in the first 15 minutes of the second half.
Charleston continued to pepper Blanchette with shots, however the shot-stopper kept the Battery out of his net. Juan Sebastian Palma redirected an Emilio Ycaza corner kick on target in the 79th minute that Blanchette was at the right place to save.
Oakland would hold on after roughly 16 minutes of stoppage time to win the match, 0-1. Charleston’s defeat was not due to a lack of effort as the Battery out-shot (16 to six) and out-possessed (64% to 36%) Roots SC, and had more passes in the final third (145 to 107).
The defeat was the Battery’s first since June, snapping a five-match unbeaten run.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and midfielder Emilio Ycaza addressed the media to discuss the game after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on what was missing tonight…
Big picture, the performance was adequate; we worked hard and we did a lot of the business that was needed. It was disappointing to lose at home, disappointing not to score. In the big moments in between the 18-yard boxes, we missed probably six, eight or nine chances. They had two [chances] and they put one away. It was a great finish by Barbir, he’s a good player. From the setup with the passing, the progressions, the movements, the patterns, everything was there for us. We didn’t execute the final play.
There have been some times this season when luck has gone our way or we’ve won at the end of the game, tonight was the opposite. We dominated, we played a good game, something we can be very proud of, but it didn’t go our way. We can’t focus on the result. It is disappointing, but the attitude, the effort, was there. Just needed that final piece in both areas of the penalty box.
Coach Pirmann on shifting the focus to upcoming the double matchweek…
Wednesday will get here quickly enough. It’s probably, on paper, our toughest game of the year. [Louisville] are the champs, they’re the best team, it’s the toughest place to play. We’ll deal with Wednesday when it arrives.
Something to improve upon is our courage. We could be more assertive, more dynamic. I don’t mean running and scheming, I mean more quick combinations, being willing to go on the front foot, attack or rebound. But, we’ve scored a lot of goals this season and we haven’t been shut out very often. I think if you play like that more times than not, we’ll be in it.
It’s going to be a different game at Louisville. We’re not going to have 75% possession and 20 shots and restarts. We might have to transition, so I don’t want to overthink it. It’s disappointing not to get to three points, but I think there’s a lot to be proud of as well.
Ycaza on his breakdown of tonight’s match…
It was one of those games where the ball is not going in. We had good possession, created good chances and, unfortunately, the game came down to scoring. We could have taken advantage earlier on in the first half, especially if we were dominant. We’ve had good comebacks, but we need to not concede and take the first step, punch first and it will be easier to close out games.
Ycaza on turning the page to the two away matches next week…
We’re going to go back into the locker room, discuss and analyze what we did wrong and what we can do better. We can look at Louisville’s weaknesses and how we can take advantage of those. We’ve got three more games in the next nine days, so we have to have that short-term memory.
There were tons of positives. If the scoreline would have been different, we’d be talking about so many moments that we had that were very good. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to score. You don’t want to look at everything through a negative lens, but there was a ton of good stuff individual- and team-wise.
Ycaza on the home support for over 100 minutes of action…
There are only so many home games left, we love [their support]. The Latinos especially bring a really good atmosphere and a really good environment. Vamos Charleston.
Next week, the Battery depart for a series of away matches against Louisville City FC on Wed., Aug. 9, and Detroit City FC on Sat., Aug. 12. Charleston then head west to face Orange County SC the following Saturday. The Battery return home on Sat., Aug. 26, to play Memphis 901 FC on Back to School Night at Patriots Point. Tickets are available now via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups:
CHS – Muse, Dodson, Palma, Archer (Paterson 71’), Wynne, Allan (Booth 91’), Ycaza, Markanich, Williams, Avila (Reedy 71’), Barajas (Trager 45’)
OAK – Rodriguez (Paba 98’), Reid (Her 63’), Cedeno, Prentice, Nane, Gomez, Diaz, Barbir, Hackshaw, Klimenta, Blanchette
Scoring Summary:
OAK – Derek Dodson (Own Goal) 41’
