Charleston Draws with Pitt, Loses to Rochester

This weekend the Battery had two matches in two nights away at Pittsburgh and Rochester. The Battery only earned one point through both of these matches. Both of the results were disappointing, but understandable.

The first match against Pittsburgh was played Friday night at Chartiers Valley Stadium. Only 624 fans showed up to watch the match, which was understandable because of the bad weather conditions.

The Battery would manage 12 shots with 3 being on goal, while Pittsburgh would take 7 and getting none on goal, making it an easy night for Battery keeper Keith Wiggans.

Dane Kelly and Levi Coleman played well together, with Kelly getting a couple of shots that he sent wide, but the offense was limited for both sides.

Charleston had to play almost half the match short-handed when Evan Taylor was shown a straight red in the 53rd for a reckless tackle on Shintaro Harada.

The back line would stand strong for another 0-0 result, giving the Battery a much needed point on the road.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds:
Players: Hunter Gilstrap, Sterling Flunder, Kyle Veris (Chad Severs 71), Louie Rolko, Jason Kutney, Thabiso Khumalo (Niko Katic 45), Johnny Appiah, Shintaro Harada, Tommy Gray, Matt Fundy (Jeremy Deighton 80), Jason Yeisley
Shots(on goal): 7(0)
Saves: 3
Fouls: 10
Corner Kicks: 3
Offsides: 2
Cautions: Kutney 43, Katic 79

Charleston Battery:
Players: Keith Wiggans, Nigel Marples, Colin Falvey, John Wilson, Mike Zaher, Cole Peverley, Evan Taylor, Nicki Paterson, Stephen Armstrong, Levi Coleman (JC Mack 83), Dane Kelly (Kevin Jackson 79)
Shots: 12
Saves: 0
Fouls: 7
Corner Kicks: 7
Offsides: 1
Cautions: Peverley 51
Ejections: Taylor 53

On Saturday, the Battery would travel up I-79 to face the Rochester Rhinos at the beautiful Sahlen Stadium.

The match started off slowly, with each team getting a couple of shots, but no great scoring chances. Then in the 25th minute the Rhinos broke through.

Quavas Kirk made a run down the right and crossed the ball into Donatelli who volleyed it off the post. The ball would hit the back of a diving Keith Wiggans, and roll slowly into the net.

The Battery then had trouble gaining possession for the rest of the second half, and they would go in at halftime down 1-0.

Coming out of the locker rooms the Battery were doing well. The ball movement was much better and they had gotten some decent scoring chances, but they still couldn't break through.

Even when the Battery had used all their subs and only had two defenders left on the field, they couldn't put one in the back of the net, and the match would end in a victory for the Rhinos.

Man of the Matches: John Wilson
Wilson played great during both of the matches. He is the anchor of our back line, and still makes some of the best tackles you'll see in the USL. If the Battery didn't have Wilson, the back line wouldn't be very good. This is not just because of his skill, but also because of his experience.

Charleston went scoreless this weekend, and their scoreless streak is up to 315 minutes. The cure for the Battery is simple; put it in the back of the net. The back is playing well, and the Battery are just in a bit of a funk, that they need to shake.

The Battery play this Friday night against FC New York at 7:30 at Blackbaud Stadium. The game will be available on USL Live.

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