The Charleston Battery played Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to a scoreless draw at Patriots Point on Saturday. The 0-0 result marks the 17th draw in the all-time series between the two clubs. Defense dominated the night and only five shots on target were recorded, two by the Battery and three by the Riverhounds.
It was a mixed bag in the early stages of the first half. Pittsburgh registered five shots through the first 20 minutes but only one was on target, while the Battery retained nearly 70% of possession in that time.
Charleston’s defense absorbed the pressure from the visitors well and goalkeeper Daniel Kuzemka made two fine saves in the opening half.
The Battery and Riverhounds went into the break tied at 0-0. Charleston held just under 69% of possession in the first half, but only recorded one shot on target (Juan David Torres, 33’).
Kuzemka was tested again early out of the interval and was called upon to make a save in the 52nd minute to deny Robbie Mertz.
Much of the intensity between the sides began to temper as the half wore on. This trend continued through the hour-mark until Ben Pirmann made some offensive-minded adjustments with Diego Gutierrez and Josh Drack substituting into the game in the 65th minute.
The Battery sent in a handful of shots after the personnel change, including an on-target attempt by Graham Smith in the 74th minute. Smith’s header nearly made in for the goal but it was cleared off the line at the last second. On the opposite end, Charleston’s defense held Pittsburgh without a shot on target for the rest of the evening.
Despite Charleston’s late push for a winner, the match ended in a 0-0 draw. It’s the 17th draw in the all-time series between Charleston and Pittsburgh.
The clean sheet was Daniel Kuzemka’s third of the year and second in as many games. Charleston currently lead the league in shutouts with eight.
Saturday’s draw moves the Battery’s record to 8W-1L-5D (29pts), placing them second in the Eastern Conference, three points out of first-place Louisville and six points clear of third-place Indy.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and midfielder Aaron Molloy discussed the match after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on how the match played out…
You want to score the goal, I thought we were very comfortable. I don’t know the exact stats, but 70% possession in the first half. We need to turn that possession into more high-quality chances or even just more chances. You want to score the goal, you want to win all three points. We knew how tough it was going to be against [Pittsburgh]. They are as good a defensive group as there is and we are struggling to find the back of the net at a high consistent rate right now. We have to make sure that we are using the moment to create chances.
Overall it’s a fair result, but it definitely feels like a points dropped because we knew exactly what we needed to do to win the game. We wanted to bait them into playing a little bit and it worked a couple of times, but then we just did not technically execute, so we are putting it all together. It’s getting close to halfway through the season and the biggest thing to improve is finishing off those chances. That’s the toughest thing to do in football.
We’ve lost one game so far, but we’ve had a lot of positive momentum, positive energy. I love this team, love this group. We are excited to be where we are at, we just want to keep getting better.
Coach Pirmann on back-to-back scoreless draws…
It’s two 0-0 ties in a row, we’ve been playing some good football, we’ve been doing well. The energy is there, the desire is there. We’ll regroup on Monday and get ready for Detroit, who is very tough, especially defensively, and we’ll push on and go from there.
You want to win for every reason, you want to be champions, you want to win first place, you want to just keep getting as many points as possible. You want to win because we’re at home and our supporters pay and come and they were great the whole evening. That’s what it’s about. You want to win for them, the community, and ourselves.
Molloy on dominating possession but not converting any chances…
You can’t really complain. All we can ask for is to get the chances. It’s just an opportunity to put in the back of the net and it would be more frustrating if we had no chances at all. We just have to take it step by step and look forward to the game next week. Pittsburgh are very hard to play against when they’re in that mid-block, they press really well, they move the lines really well.
We want to be able to keep the ball as much as possible and get as many chances as possible. I thought we played well and shoutout to the back four and Daniel Kuzemka, he kept another clean sheet for the year. It’s just up the rest of us to put the ball back in the net. Unfortunately, we didn’t get three points tonight.
Molloy on the support from fans at Patriots Point tonight…
Drawing at home is really really frustrating. We’ve got so many people coming out to the games and you want to put on a show for them. You want to get three points and be at the top of the table and compete for trophies, that’s what we’re about. So, it’s very frustrating, not being able to get all three points.
[The support from our fans] means a lot. When things go our way, we hear the fans. It’s something that goes a long way here at Patriots Point, having them as the 12th player, so to speak. So we heard them, they’re nice and loud, so hopefully their support continues.
Charleston will now shift their focus to a pair of away matches, against Detroit City FC (June 15) and Phoenix Rising FC (June 22). The Battery return to Patriots Point on Fri., June 28, to host North Carolina FC for Red, White and Blue Night, which includes post-match fireworks. Tickets for the game are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineup Summary
CHS: Kuzemka, Segbers, Archer, Smith, Dossantos (Drack, 65’), Molloy, Allan, Markanich, Ycaza (Gutierrez 65’), Torres, Myers (Conway, 80’)
PIT: Dick, Etou, Osumanu, Hogan (Biasi, 81’), Suber, Blackstock (Cayet, 81’), Walti (Sample, 57’), Griffin, Mertz (Forbes, 57’), Kizza, Sterling
