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CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery concludes the 2016 regular season with a match against Eastern Conference Champions, New York Red Bulls II,  Saturday night at MUSC Health Stadium. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 7:30pm. 

With first-place and home field advantage throughout the playoffs already locked up, the Red Bulls have nothing to play for Saturday night, but the Battery are looking to clinch a top four finish and a first-round playoff game at home for the second consecutive season. A win over NYRBII and a Charlotte loss or draw at Slugger Field against second-place Louisville City FC will push Charleston into fourth place. 

Charleston enter the match against New York riding a two game win streak. Goals from Ataulla Guerra and Maikel Chang lifted the Battery over USL newcomers Bethlehem Steel FC at MUSC Health Stadium on September 10th. The Battery rode the momentum from the win over Bethlehem into their must-win clash with the Kickers in Richmond a week later.

Maikel Chang made headlines again in the match against the Kickers, scoring a stunning goal in the 86th minute to lift the Battery to three points. Romario Williams scored his tenth goal of the season to draw Charleston level fifteen minutes prior to Chang’s game-winner. 

Depending on results Saturday night, the Battery could finish the regular season as high as fourth or drop as low as seventh . A Battery win, however, guarantees a finish in fourth or fifth place depending on the result of the Charlotte/Louisville match. 

RICHMOND, VA – The Charleston Battery came from behind to beat the Richmond Kickers, 2-1, at City Stadium Saturday night. The win momentarily keeps the Battery’s hopes of finishing in the top four and earning a first round home playoff game alive.

The match was even through the first 30 minutes with both sides throwing numbers forward and pushing for the opening goal. Richmond found the back of the net first by way of a penalty in the 33rd minute. Yudai Imura converted the spot kick, sending goalkeeper Alex Tambakis the wrong way to put his side in front. The 1-0 scoreline held heading into the break.

The Battery opened the second half well, searching for an equalizer; but were stymied by a tough Richmond defense. After failing to break down the opposing back four in the opening twenty minutes of the second half, Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser made two vital substitutions. Anhaeuser elected to bring on youngsters Andrew Carleton and Jeremy Ebobisse who were both instrumental in Charleston’s comeback.

Shortly after entering the match, Ebobisse found the ball in a scrum inside the Richmond penalty area and fed a pass to Romario Williams. The Jamaican center forward received the ball and smashed a left-footed shot past Andrew Dykstra at the near post. The 72-minute equalizer was Williams’ tenth goal of the year.   

The game opened up tremendously after the equalizer, with both teams gunning for the go-ahead goal knowing a draw would kill their chances of hosting in the first round. Kickers’ substitute Sunny Jane had a chance to put his side in front after breaking through on goal in the 83rd minute, but hit the post, then dragged the rebound wide.

Minutes after the Kickers’ missed opportunity, the Battery found one of their own and converted. Carleton picked up the ball in midfield and played a cutting pass through Richmond’s defense into the feet of Maikel Chang. Chang turned and hit a bending left-footed shot that found the top corner of Dykstra’s goal. The eventual game-winner was Chang’s sixth goal of the year and second in consecutive games.

The three points in Richmond sets the Battery up well heading into next week’s regular season finale against Eastern Conference champions New York Red Bulls II at MUSC Health Stadium. Charleston could have a chance to clinch a top-four finish in the match, depending on other results around the league this weekend.  Kickoff against NYRBII is scheduled for 7:30. 

Box Score:

CHARLESTON BATTERY – Alex Tambakis, Quinton Griffith, Taylor Mueller, Shawn Ferguson (yellow card, 37), Emmanuel Adjetey, Maikel Chang, Ataulla Guerra (yellow card, 50); (Jeffrey Otoo, 79), Zach Prince (yellow card, 62) (Neveal Hackshaw, 64), Dante Marini (Andrew Carleton, 62), Chris Tsonis (Jeremy Ebobisse, 62), Romario Williams (goal, 71) (Heviel Cordoves, 72)

Subs: Odisnel Cooper, Forrest Lasso

RICHMOND KICKERS – Andrew Dykstra, Alex Lee, Braeden Troyer, Hugh Roberts, Conor Shanosky, Yudai Imura (goal, 34) (Jason Yeisley, 89), Samuel Asante, Miguel Aguilar, Scott Thomsen, Jackson Eskay (William Yomby, 72), Anthony Grant (Sunny Jane, 78)

Subs: Mark Nankervis, Fred Sekyere Owusu, Brian Owmby, Matt Delicate

CHARLESTON, SC – The two longest continuously operating professional soccer clubs in the country meet for the third and final time in the regular season Saturday night at City Stadium.

The Battery will travel to Richmond Friday afternoon in preparation for their match against the Kickers at 5:00pm the following day. Charleston earned four of a possible six points in the two matches against Richmond earlier this season.  The Battery comprehensively defeated the Kickers, 2-0, at MUSC Health Stadium in July and split the points with their rivals in Richmond two weeks ago. 

Now that all team’s have played 28 matches (apart from Toronto FC II who have played 29), the battle for playoff positioning has become a little more clear. Richmond (12-7-9), Rochester (11-5-12), and Charleston (12-7-9) are all tied on 45 points and are all still in the hunt for a top four spot and the right to host a first round playoff game. A win over Richmond on Saturday all but removes them from the top-four equation; and if Charleston wins both its final matches, they will own the first tie-breaker (total USL wins) over Rochester, making the Rhinos’ results irrelevant.

New York Red Bulls II and Louisville City FC have already clinched top two finishes, but third and fourth place are still to be determined. FC Cincinnati (50 points) and Charlotte Independence (49 points) currently occupy the final two hosting places. 

The Battery need to win their remaining two matches against Richmond and NYRBII and get a little help from the rest of the league to earn a home playoff game the weekend of October 1st. If Charlotte loses their last two, or loses one and draws the other, and the Battery wins both of their matches there will be first-round playoff soccer at MUSC Health Stadium. The Independence face two tough tests to finish out the 2016 season, playing at home against Rochester and on the road against Louisville. In the unlikely event that Cincinnati drops all six points in their final two matches, the Battery could finish third.  

With its destiny in other teams’ hands, the Battery will focus on controlling what it can in the final two weeks of the season. Charleston will look to finish the season series against the Kickers undefeated and earn three valuable points on Saturday. Following the match in Richmond, the Battery returns home to play the Eastern Conference Champions NYRBII in the regular season finale. Kickoff in Richmond is scheduled for 5:00pm Saturday night. 

CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery stopped its two-game losing skid with a 2-1 win over USL newcomers Bethlehem Steel FC Saturday night at MUSC Health Stadium. 

After a shaky opening five minutes, the Battery settled in and took the game to Bethlehem. Maikel Chang opened the scoring in the 10th minute after good build-up through the midfield. 

Justin Portillo played Atualla Guerra in down the right flank. Guerra back heeled the ball into Chang’s path who slotted a low shot past goalkeeper Matthew Perrella at the back post. The goal was Chang’s fifth in the league this year.

Charleston kept the pressure on Steel FC as the half wore on, but a penalty brought the visitors back into the match. Cory Burke flicked the ball past Shawn Ferguson and went to ground inside the 18, drawing a penalty. Derrick Jones converted from the spot, despite a touch from Alex Tambakis. 

Guerra popped up again four minutes later, grabbing the eventual game-winning goal and capping off a great first half. Ricky Garbanzo swung a cross in from the right side and Guerra calmly volleyed it in from inside the six yard box.

“Ricky [Garbanzo] picked me out with a great cross,” said Guerra. “I just did what I had to do. I kept my composure and side-footed it into the goal. ” 

The goal was Guerra’s first in the league this season. The Trinidadian playmaker finished the match with three points, running the show from midfield. 

The game opened up a bit in the second half as players on both teams tired. Despite end-to-end action and two extremely stretched midfields, the game ended 2-1 in the Battery’s favor. Charleston created several quality chances in the second half, but the post and Perrella kept them out. 

Andrew Carleton earned his first start in the match and grew into the game as it wore on. Carleton, who became the youngest American player in history to start a USL match Saturday night, looked extremely dangerous running at Bethlehem’s back four in second half. 

“I had some nerves at the start,” said Carleton. “But as the game went on I kind of forgot about it and focused on playing the game and doing whatever I could to contribute to the team. It was a great atmosphere and I was happy to be able to help us get the win tonight.” 

The win moves the Battery into a tie for fifth place with Rochester, just a point behind fourth place FC Cincinnati and three points behind third place Charlotte. With a home playoff game within reach, Charleston has everything to play for in the remaining two regular season matches. The Battery will hit the road next weekend for a third and final match with Richmond before returning home to play New York Red Bulls II in the regular season finale. 

Box Score: 

CHARLESTON BATTERY – Alex Tambakis, Quinton Griffith, Shawn Ferguson (yellow card, 34), Taylor Mueller, O’Brian Woodbine, Maikel Chang (goal, 10) (Dante Marini, 77), Justin Portillo, Ataulla Guerra (goal, 39) (Heviel Cordoves, 84), Andrew Carleton (Jeffery Otoo, 66), Ricky Garbanzo (yellow card, 52); (Zach Prince, 73), Romario Williams (Jeremy Ebobisse, 45) 

Subs: Odisnel Cooper, Forrest Lasso

BETHLEHEM STEEL FC – Matthew Perrella, Ryan Richter, Nick Bibbs, Auston Trusty, Taylor Washington (yellow card, 53)(Josue Monge, 80), Maurice Edu (yellow card, 42), Derrick Jones (goal, 35), James Chambers (yellow card, 31), Eric Ayuk (Josue Monge, 80)(Cole Missima, 76), Justin McMaster (Joshua Heard, 66), Cory Burke (yellow card, 41)

Subs: Tomas Romero, Boluwatife Akinyode, Gabriel Gissie, Amoy Brown

MONTREAL, CANADA – FC Montreal defeated the Charleston Battery, 2-1, at Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard Wednesday afternoon. The Battery failed to capitalize on a man-advantage throughout the majority of the second half and were pegged with their second loss in five days. 

Anthony Jackson-Hamel opened the scoring in the 14th minute. Jackson-Hamel was given enough time and space to pull a cross down out of the air and put a shot on frame. The low shot beat a diving Odisnel Cooper, who earned his first start in goal in four matches Wednesday. 

MLS loanee Jeremy Ebobisse scored an equalizer in the closing moments of the first half. Ebobisse, who earned his first professional start and scored his first professional goal in the match, collected a pass from Maikel Chang, squared to his defender and smashed a shot into the side netting at the back post. 

The Battery looked the better side as the halftime whistle blew and came out of the locker room on the front foot. FC Montreal’s  Aron Mkungilwa was given a red card in the 56th minute, fueling the Battery’s momentum. 

Despite a man-advantage, FC Montreal created several quality scoring chances as the second half wore on. Charleston threw numbers forward, pushing for the go-ahead goal. Instead, Jimmy-Shammar Sanon scored a goal of the year nominee in the 83rd minute.

Shammar-Sanon collected the ball on the left sideline and cut in on his right foot, dribbling past several Battery defenders before unleashing a vicious shot into the upper 90.  Charleston pushed hard for a second equalizer in the final moments of the match, but FC Montreal did well to keep them at bay. 

The Battery will look to turn things around and stop the skid this Saturday versus Bethlehem Steel FC.  

Box Score:

CHARLESTON BATTERY: Odisnel Cooper, Quinton Griffith, Taylor Mueller, Forrest Lasso, Emmanuel Adjetey, Dante Marini (Andrew Carleton, 71), Zach Prince (Chris Tsonis, 86), Ataulla Guerra, Romario Williams (Heviel Cordoves, 80), Jeremy Ebobisse (goal, 40) (Ricky Garbanzo, 61; yellow card, 66). 

Subs not used: Alex Tambakis, Shawn Ferguson, Justin Portillo

FC MONTREAL:  David Paulmin,  Aron Mkungilwa (red card, 56), Thomas Meilleur-Giguère, Kyle Fisher, Janouk Charbonneau, Nevello Yoseke (Mélé Temguia, 90), Jérémy Gagnon-Laparé , David Choinière (Lincourt-Joseph, 67), Heikel Jarras (Zachary Sukunda, 61), Yacine Ait Slimane (Jimmy-Shammar Sanon, 67; goal, 82), Anthony Jackson-Hamel (goal, 14) (Badreddine Boulajoul, 87)

Subs not used: Luca Leone, Jems Geffrard, Philippe

CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery traveled to Canada  Tuesday morning in preparation for its matinee match with FC Montreal Wednesday afternoon. 

The Battery is coming off of a hard fought loss at home to the Rochester Rhinos. Justin Portillo  opened the scoring in the 16th minute, converting a penalty after sending the goalkeeper the wrong way. The goal was the midfielder’s sixth of the season, which is the second-highest goal tally on the team behind Romario Williams. 

The game was end-to-end following Portillo’s opening goal, with both teams pushing for three points to move up in the Eastern Conference standing. Despite the hosts creating several quality chances in the attacking third, it was the visitors who found two unanswered goals. The Battery threw numbers forward following the Rhinos’ equalizer, leaving the back four exposed on the counter attack. The loss was the Battery’s fourth at home this season. 

FC Montreal has put together a nice run of matches after a terrible start to the 2016 season. The team won four straight games in the month of August, including a 3-1 victory over the Battery at MUSC Health Stadium. In their pervious match, FC Montreal were narrowly defeated by Louisville City FC, 1-0, at Complexe Sportif Claude-Robillard. 

Wednesday’s match has added significance for the Battery following the loss to Rochester. Charleston now sits in seventh place, holding firmly to the second-to-last playoff position. The team clinched a playoff berth with its tie in Richmond last Wednesday and is now looking to move up in the table to earn a more favorable draw. 

Four points separates third place from seventh, so Charleston still has a chance to make major moves in the Eastern Conference if the team can put together a good run of form. The Battery returns home this weekend and plays host to Bethlehem Steel FC for the first time in history Saturday night. 

Wednesday’s match is scheduled to kickoff at 2:00pm and can be streamed via the USL Match Center. 

Top Image: Shawn Ferguson battles for the ball vs FC Montreal.
Vin Duffy Photo 

CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery dropped a 2-1 decision to long-time rivals Rochester Rhinos at MUSC Health Stadium Saturday night. 

The game between two of the best defensive teams in the USL was fairly open from the first whistle. The Battery and Rhinos traded chances early on, forcing both goalkeepers to make big saves. 

Justin Portillo opened the scoring in the 16th minute, converting a penalty after a Rochester handball. The penalty chance came from a good exchange between Quinton Griffith and Zach Prince down the right side of the field. Griffith put a dangerous cross into the area forcing center back Vasileios Apostolopoulos to swing his arm at the ball to put it off. Portillo sent goalkeeper Tomas Gomez the wrong way on the penalty, scoring his 6th goal of the season and second in as many games. 

Rochester answered fairly quickly, finding an equalizer nine minutes later. The scoring move started from midfield as the Rhinos strung together several passes before finding Christian Volesky in the box. Volesky collected the ball, turned, and slotted a shot under Alex Tambakis to level to score. 

Both teams came out of the dressing rooms for the second half pressing hard for the go-ahead goal. Charleston put together some of its best passing moves of the season and created several dangerous scoring opportunities, but had trouble converting in front of goal. 

“We created some of our best chances of the year tonight,” said Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser. “Our movement was excellent and I thought the guys passed the ball around very well, but we missed the target and they didn’t.”

Rochester found the eventual game-winner in the 81st minute through substitute Gaousso Bakayoko. The ball pinged around the Battery penalty area and eventually fell to Bakayoko who toe poked it under Tambakis. The Atlanta United loanee got a piece of Bakayoko’s shot and was unlucky to be beaten a second time. 

Charleston will look to rebound on the road in Canada on Wednesday with a rematch with FC Montreal. Following the midweek game, the Battery returns home to face Bethlehem Steel FC on Saturday, September 10th. 

Box Score: 

CHARLESTON BATTERY: Alex Tambakis, Quinton Griffith, Taylor Mueller, Shawn Ferguson (Forrest Lasso, 86), O’Brian Woodbine, Zach Prince (Emmanuel Adjetey, 86), Justin Portillo (goal, 16) (Dante Marini, 56), Ataulla Guerra (yellow card, 90), Maikel Chang, Ricky Garbanzo (Chris Tsonis, 75), Heviel Cordoves (Jeremy Ebobisse, 63)

Subs not used: Odisnel Cooper, Jeffery Otoo

ROCHESTER RHINOS: Tomas Gomez, Bradley Kamdem (Dominic Samuel, 73), Vasileios Apostolopoulos (yellow card, 14), Ryan Lee James, Joseph Farrell (Gaulisso Banayoko, 78; goal, 81), Kenardo Forbes, Michael Garzi (Kevyn McFarlane, 73) (Asani Samuels , 88) , Wal Fall (yellow card, 27), Sofiane Tergou (Chase Miller, 83; yellow card, 85), Christian Volesky (goal, 25), Steevan dos Santos (yellow card, 90)

Subs not used: Daniel Lynd, Andre Fortune

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Single-game  and VIP tickets for the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Men’s Soccer Championship are now on sale. The match will be played at 2 p.m. on Sunday, November 13 at MUSC Health Stadium. 

Adult tickets are available for $10. Youth under 18 get in free, as do students at ACC institutions with valid identification.

VIP tickets are $50 and include brunch in the Three Lions Club catered by Crave Kitchen and Cocktails, mimosas and bloody marys, and a west club seat. Brunch will be served a la carte from 11:00am until kickoff. 

Tickets can be purchased online here or by calling 843-971-4625. 

The ACC Championship will get underway with first round games on Wednesday, Nov. 2, quarterfinals on Sunday, Nov. 6, and the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 9. The first three rounds will be held on the campus of the higher seeded team, culminating in the championship at MUSC Health Stadium.

The ACC placed seven teams in the NCAA Championship field in 2015, the most in the nation, and finished the season as the top-rated conference in the NCAA RPI. Two league teams – Clemson and Syracuse – advanced to the College Cup, marking the 15th consecutive year that at least one ACC team has reached the national semifinals.

CHARLESTON, SC – Two playoff bound teams meet Saturday night as the Charleston Battery takes on Eastern Conference rivals Rochester Rhinos at MUSC Health Stadium. 

Both Charleston and Rochester clinched playoff berths on Wednesday night. The Battery traveled back to Richmond for a make-up match with the Kickers. Justin Portillo’s 68th minute equalizer sealed a top eight finish for Charleston. 

The Rhinos advanced to the playoffs despite being idle Wednesday night. Wilmington and Bethlehem both failed to win, ensuring a playoff spot for Rochester. 

In their last match, the Rhinos earned a dramatic draw on the road against the Hammerheads. Wal Fall’s 93rd minute header cancelled out what looked to be a Wilmington stoppage time winner, allowing Rochester to escape with a point. 

Charleston has only lost one match in its previous twelve, amassing a 5-1-6 record over that run. The stretch of games included matches against all eight teams currently in the playoffs. The Battery regained its form at home last Saturday, beating the Charlotte Independence, 1-0, in a pivotal Eastern Conference match. 

With five of the top eight teams separated by just three points in the table, Saturday’s match has implications on playoff positioning. The Battery have a point advantage and a game in hand on Rochester, giving the hosts the edge. The tight table means both Charleston and Rochester can still earn a top four finish and a first round home game despite being in sixth and seventh place heading into the match. 

Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 pm, gates open at 6:00 pm. The match can be live streamed via the USL Match Center.