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CHARLESTON, SC – With Hurricane Matthew moving up the coast, the Charleston Battery departed for Louisville, KY Thursday night in preparation for the USL Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Battery will face Louisville City FC Saturday night at Slugger Field  in a rematch of last year’s Eastern Conference Semifinal, a match that Louisville won, 3-1, in overtime.

HOW THEY GOT HERE:

Charleston Battery 

Charleston (14-8-9) entered the playoffs as the sixth seed in the East, setting up a run-in with USL newcomers FC Cincinnati in the first round. The Battery upset FCC, 2-1, in front of more than 30,000 fans at Nippert Stadium Sunday afternoon.

The Battery were forced to battle back from behind after a wonder-strike from Cincinnati’s Eric Stevenson put the hosts up 1-0 early in the first half. Forward Chris Tsonis drew Charleston level five minutes before halftime, flicking O’Brian Woodbine’s long throw-in past goalkeeper Mitch Hildebrandt at the near post.

Following the equalizer, the Battery relied on its veterans to carry the team across the finish line and into the next round of the playoffs. An experienced back four made up of captain Shawn Ferguson, Taylor Mueller, Quinton Griffith, and Woodbine played well in front of rookie goalkeeper Alex Tambakis. Tambakis made three saves on the way to his first playoff win.

Zach Prince, the Battery’s most veteran player, was involved in the game-winning goal. Prince beat everyone to Maikel Chang’s near post corner kick, heading it on frame. The midfielder’s header took a deflection and found the back of the net.

The win was the Battery’s seventh on the road in 2016, extending its impressive record away from home this season. Charleston have always played well at home, going unbeaten at MUSC Health Stadium for more than two years, but have struggled on the road in the past. Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser’s squad has only lost three road matches in 2016, amassing a 6-3-6 record during the regular season. That record includes a win over USL Regular Season Champions NYRBII and a draw with second place Louisville City FC.

Louisville City FC 

Louisville (18-4-9) finished the regular season with the second best record in the East, nine points off first place New York Red Bulls II. LouCity beat the Richmond Kickers, 2-0, at Slugger Field in the first round of the playoffs Sunday night to advance to the semifinals.

The match ended in a 0-0 draw despite Louisville playing up a man for 87 of the 90 minutes. After facing 20 shots in regulation, Richmond goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra finally conceded in the first period of added extra time. George Davis IV broke through the Kickers defense and slotted a low shot past Dykstra, edging his side in front.

Chandler Hoffman scored minutes after Davis’ opener, putting the game out of reach of the 10-man Richmond side. The goal was Hoffman’s 15th of the year, ranking him among the top goal scorers in the league.

Both Davis and Hoffman tallied goals against the Battery this season. Davis scored the opening goal in Louisville’s 2-0 win over Charleston at MUSC Health Stadium back in May, while Hoffman opened the scoring in the 1-1 draw at Slugger Field in July.

Louisville’s home record is as equally as impressive as the Battery’s road record. LouCity have only lost two matches at Slugger Field this year, dropping decisions to New York Red Bulls II in the second match of the season and Orlando City B in July.

NOTES:

The Battery will be without Quinton Griffith, Neveal Hackshaw and Jeremy Ebobisse on Saturday due to international duty. Griffith is captaining Antigua and Barbuda for its Caribbean Cup qualifiers this week. After losing 3-0 to Curacao on Wednesday, Antigua will look to turn things around against Peru on Saturday at 3:00pm.

Hackshaw did not play in Trinidad and Tobago’s 4-0 dismantling of the Dominican Republic on Wednesday. T&T plays another Caribbean Cup qualifier against Martinique on Tuesday, October 11th.

Ebobisse departed for England to meet up with the US U20s immediately following the Battery’s win over Cincinnati. The US lost, 1-0, to Germany on Wednesday. The Americans take on the Netherlands on Friday and play England on Monday, October 10th.

NEXT UP:

The winner of Saturday’s match advances to the Eastern Conference Finals to face the winner of the New York Red Bulls II vs. Rochester Rhinos match. The New York/Rochester match kicks off at 7:00pm at Red Bull Arena. Regardless of the outcome of the other Eastern Conference Semifinal match, the Battery will be traveling for the Conference Finals should they advance.

The Battery vs. Louisville City FC match is scheduled to kick off at 7:30pm Saturday night. The match can be streamed via the USL Game Center: http://www.uslsoccer.com/game/show/15144034

CHARLESTON, SC — The Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Soccer Championship will be played at MUSC Health Stadium, officials confirmed Tuesday morning.

The semifinals and finals of the ACC Women’s Soccer Tournament will be played at MUSC Health Stadium, while the quarterfinals will be held on the campuses of the higher seeds. The two semifinal matches will be played on Friday, November 4th at 5:30pm and 8:00pm and the final will be played on Sunday, November 6th at 12:00pm.

The ACC is a perennial powerhouse in women’s college soccer, winning 25 of the 31 NCAA Tournaments contested since 1981. The Conference helped launch the careers of some of the best female soccer players in the world, including current USWNT stars Morgan Brian (UVA), Tobin Heath (UNC) and Crystal Dunn (UNC).

The ACC Men’s Championship will played at MUSC Health Stadium the week following the women’s final. Kickoff for the men’s game is scheduled for 2:00pm on Sunday, November 13th.

Tickets for the Men’s and Women’s Championships are on sale now. ACC Championship series passes are $20 and include entry into all four games over both weekends. Adult single-day tickets are $10, youth (18 and under) and students of ACC institutions get in free with valid identification.

VIP ticket packages are also available for both championship matches. 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 beginning at 10:00am prior to the Women’s final and 11:00am prior to the Men’s final. 

Tickets can be purchased online at http://bsportsent.com/events or by calling 843-971-4625.

CINCINNATI, OHIO – The Charleston Battery came from behind to upset FC Cincinnati, 2-1, at Nippert Stadium Saturday afternoon. With the win, Charleston advances to the Eastern Conference Semifinals and awaits the winner of the Louisville City FC/Richmond Kickers match.

Cincinnati opened the scoring early in the first half through an unsaveable strike from Eric Stevenson. Sean Okoli took advantage of a Battery turnover in its own half, picking up a misplaced pass and feeding the ball to Stevenson. The Ohio native drove at the back line and smashed a shot into the top corner of Alex Tambakis’ goal, giving the hosts a 1-0 lead.

The veteran Battery squad responded to the early deficit well and clawed their way back into the match. Chris Tsonis scored an equalizer in the 40th minute, flicking an O’Brian Woodbine long throw in at the near post. Tsonis has shown up at the right time all season, scoring four equalizing goals in all competitions.

Goalkeeper Alex Tambakis made a huge save in stoppage time of the first half to send the teams into the break level at one. The Atlanta United loanee rushed off his line after the back four was caught out to deny Andrew Wiedeman on a one-on-one opportunity.   

The beginning of the second half was stretched with both teams pushing for the go ahead goal. In the midst of the end-to-end action, it was the Battery who found the back of the net. Zach Prince got his head on a Maikel Chang corner kick, flicking it on frame. Prince’s header took a deflection and went in, giving Charleston a 2-1 lead.

Coach Anhaeuser’s experienced side closed out the match, thwarting any attacking threat FC Cincinnati threw at them and earning the team’s seventh road victory this season. Following the win, the Battery will either meet Louisville City FC at Slugger Field or the Richmond Kickers at MUSC Health Stadium in the next round.

Box Score:

CHARLESTON BATTERY: Alex Tambakis, Quinton Griffith, Taylor Mueller, Shawn Ferguson, O’Brian Woodbine, Zach Prince (goal, 65), Ataulla Guerra, Dante Marini (Emmanuel Adjetey, 75), Maikel Chang (yellow card, 62), Chris Tsonis (goal, 40) (Neveal Hackshaw, 71), Romario Williams (Heviel Cordoves, 77)

Subs not used – Odisnel Cooper, Forrest Lasso, Andrew Carleton, Jeremy Ebobisse

FC CINCINNATI: Mitch Hildebrandt, Pat McMahon (Omar Mohamed, 84), Austin Berry, Delbridge, Tyler Polak (Derek Luke, 78), Kenny Walker, Eric Stevenson (goal, 19), Andrew Wiedeman, Corben Bone (Casey Townsend, 74), Jimmy McLaughlin, Sean Okoli

Subs not used – Dallas Jaye, Evan Lee, Paul Nicholson, Ross Tomaselli

CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery begin their journey to a fifth USL championship this Sunday at 4:00pm at Nippert Stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The Battery will battle USL newcomers FC Cincinnati (16-6-8) in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. FCC finished the regular season in third place, eight points above the sixth place Battery.

Charleston was 1-0-1 against Cincinnati in the regular season, earning a win at home and drawing on the road. Romario Williams scored a 94th minute goal in his first match with the Battery and FCC’s first match ever as a franchise to lift Charleston to a 1-0 in the season opener. Alex Tambakis also played his first match for the Battery in the opener, making three saves and earning the first of Charleston’s ten shutouts this season.

Omar Cummings’ opening goal in the teams’ second meeting was cancelled out by a strike from Heviel Cordoves in the 69th minute. Cordoves’ third goal of the season lifted the Battery to a hard-earned road point in front of 20,000 fans.

The Battery missed out on an opportunity to host a first-round playoff game last week after failing to defeat the USL Regular Season Champions New York Red Bulls II. While Charleston would have preferred to play a home game in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, they’ll find confidence in their road record heading into Saturday’s match. The Battery are 6-3-6 on the road this season; a record that includes a 3-2 win over first place NYRBII and draws with second place Louisville City FC and third place FCC.

Romario Williams returned to training this week after missing out on the regular season finale versus New York because of the birth of his son. Williams leads the Battery in scoring this season with ten goals and one assist. The Jamaican center forward will need to have a big performance against FCC in order for the Battery to advance.

Third-year midfielder Maikel Chang is having the best season of his career and will need to continue his good form into the playoffs in the absence of Justin Portillo who will miss remainder of the year after being diagnosed with acute appendicitis. Chang has been the Battery’s most consistent player in 2016, racking up six goals and six assists in 29 games and collecting Charleston’s MVP award along the way.

In addition Williams and Chang, the Battery will rely on its veteran defense to carry the team through the playoffs, especially on the road. Center backs Taylor Mueller and Shawn Ferguson have anchored the team defensively, allowing outside backs O’Brian Woodbine and Quinton Griffith to get forward and join the attack.

The winner of the Charleston/Cincinnati game will move on to face the winner of the Louisville City FC/Richmond Kickers game. If both the Battery and Richmond earn upsets, the two long-time rivals will meet at MUSC Health Stadium in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday, October 8th.

CHARLESTON, SC – The Charleston Battery lost a tight decision, 2-1, to the USL regular season champions, New York Red Bulls II, at MUSC Health Stadium Saturday night.

The Battery fell behind in the 38th minute after Red Bulls midfielder Vincent Bezencourt buried a perfectly struck free kick from the top of the box. The little left-footed playmaker bent the dead ball around the wall and away from a diving Alex Tambakis to put his side in front.

The 1-0 score held into halftime, leaving the Battery with 45 minutes to find two goals in order to keep their hopes of hosting a first-round playoff game alive. Charleston put pressure on the first-place Red Bulls immediately and found an equalizer five minutes into the second half.

Ricky Garbanzo played Dante Marini through inside the penalty area. The midfielder’s first shot was blocked by a sliding defender, but the rebound fell directly to him. Marini hammered the rebound into the back of the net to give the Battery life.

The hosts were ultimately undone by a penalty late in the second half. The referee awarded New York the spot kick after a push in the box. Brandon Allen stepped up and confidently scored the penalty, bringing his goal tally on the season to 15.

“They’re the number one team in the league for a reason, said Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser following the loss. “You have to play well for the entire 90 minutes against them or they’ll make you pay. It’s a great game to lead us into the playoffs. It was a great test and obviously we’re disappointed to lose, but it showed us a few mistakes that we can’t commit the first-round of the playoffs if we’re going to extend our season. It was a tough loss, but we’ve shown that we can play with the best teams in this league and we’re looking forward to moving into the playoffs. “

Charleston finishes the regular in sixth place and will head to FC Cincinnati for the first round of the playoffs. The two teams will meet on Sunday, October 2nd at 7:00pm.

Box Score:

CHARLESTON BATTERY: Alex Tambakis, Quinton Griffith (yellow card, 79), Taylor Mueller, Shawn Ferguson (yellow card, 75), (Forrest Lasso, 83), O’Brian Woodbine, Maikel Chang, Zach Prince (yellow card, 56); (Jeffrey Otoo, 74), Ataulla Guerra, Dante Marini (goal, 50); (Chris Tsonis, 74) Ricky Garbanzo (Neveal Hackshaw, 65), Heviel Cordoves (Jeremy Ebobisse, 60)

Subs not used: Odisnel Cooper, Emmanuel Adjetey

NEW YORK RED BULLS II: Ryan Meara, Justin Bilyeu (Kevin O’toole, 46), Zachary Carroll, Tyler Adams (Konrad Plewa, 56), Daniel Metzeger (Noah Powder, 46), David Najem, Vincent Bezecourt (goal, 38); (Florian Valot, 57), Derrick Etienne, Brandon Allen (goal, 75; yellow card 85)), Stefano Bonomo (Zoumana Simpara, 36)

Subs not used: Rafael Diaz

Charleston Battery midfielder Justin Portillo will miss the remainder of the 2016 USL season after team medical staff diagnosed that he is suffering from acute appendicitis.

Portillo was released from MUSC Hospital on Friday after surgery and will be sidelined for the Battery’s Saturday night USL match versus NYRBII and for the duration of the 2016 USL playoffs.

The 24-year old has been in excellent form for the Battery for the past few months with 6 goals and 4 assists in 26 games played.

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.