Charleston Held by Pittsburgh for a Draw

Last night the Charleston Battery played their second match in two days against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in Charleston. The Riverhounds held the Battery for a 0-0 draw in front of 4,079 fans at Blackbaud Stadium.

Dane Kelly got the match started off quickly. In fact it only took him about 30 seconds to get a shot on goal. He came in off a good run and got into the box on the left side, but his shot was saved by Pittsburgh keeper Hunter Gilstrap.

Kelly would get another chance just minutes later. He would find Gilstrap off his line just enough to attempt to slide the ball past him. Gilstrap would make a last second kick-save to preserve the clean sheet.

The chances were back in forth, but the Battery had the majority of them, along with the possession.

In the 23rd minute, Levi Coleman stripped a Riverhound defender and had just the keeper to beat, but shot it wide. This was probably Charleston's best chance of the night.

Kelly continued to be active, and nailed a shot off the post in the 24th minute, after JC Mack crossed it in.

The Battery thought they had scored in the 36th minute when Levi Coleman slid a ball into the back of the net off a Cole Peverley pass, but he was caught off side. I don't think he was offside, and we'll have to wait for the archived game on USL Live to see.

The rest of the game was lacking of great chances, aside from a Riverhounds free kick in stoppage time of the second half, and the match would end 0-0.

Man of the Match: Dane Kelly
Kelly finally showed up and looked great for a game for once. He was making effective runs and was very active from the moment he stepped on the pitch. The combination of him and Coleman up front looks to be working great, and they have developed a great chemistry with each other that should be resulting in a huge amount of goals in the next couple of matches.

Honorable Mentions: Levi Coleman and Keith Wiggans

The Battery had 17 shots compared to just 6 by the Riverhounds, and the legitimate scoring chances for Pittsburgh were few and far between. Charleston should have won this game and the result is disappointing to say the least.

On the bright side, the pink jerseys looked great and the Kick for a Cure was a huge success.

The Battery now travel on up to face Pittsburgh at their place on Friday and then they will play at Rochester. The Pittsburgh match will be available on 1340 AM in Charleston as well on charlestonbattery.com. The match with Rochester will be broadcast on USL Live.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com. Also follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/scsoccerblog.

Preview(s): Charlotte Eagles-Charleston Battery and Charleston-Pittsburgh Riverhounds

In the first of Charleston's "2 matches in 2 days" (that we'll be seeing a couple of times this year), the Battery take on the Charlotte Eagles for the second time this year, and the National Division's Pittsburgh Riverhounds. Here's a quick preview:
Charlotte Eagles:
This Season: The Eagles have had a rough start to their season. They have lost 2 and drawn 1 of their three matches so far, and have failed to score a goal. Their first match was against Charleston, which they lost 1-0 off an own goal by Mark Bloom. Here's a full recap of that match.
Who's Playing Big: Well right now nobody. The Eagles have failed to even put out a good performance this year, their best match probably being against a Charleston team that was in the process of finding itself in that first match. The best play is probably coming from their keeper, Eric Reed. Reed has given up only 2 goals in 3 matches. Considering that they've earned one point in those two matches, less than one a game is not bad at all.
Who Needs to Step Up: THE WHOLE TEAM. Someone needs to find the back of the net to give the team some confidence, and playing Charleston is no easy task, as the Battery have been playing well this season earning 6 points in 3 matches.

Pittsburgh Riverhounds:
This Season: Pittsburgh comes into their match with Charleston holding a 1-1-0 record. Their first match came away against the red-hot Richmond Kickers, which they lost 2-1. The second match was against their in-state rival the Harrisburg City Islanders. They won that match 1-0 off a Shintaro Harada goal.
Who's Playing Big: The back line has been playing solidly in their first two matches. Giving up 2 goals in 0 matches (and both of them being against Richmond) is fair, not to mention that their game winning goal against Harrisburg was scored by Harada (a defender).
Who Needs to Step Up: Nobody in particular, but the strikers need to be scoring a little more prolifically if the Riverhounds want to compete in the league.

What to Expect:
Charleston should come out in a 4-4-2 again:

Wiggans

Marples Wilson Zaher Falvey

Peverley Paterson Taylor Armstrong

Coleman Bah

Wiggans should be playing both of the matches for the injured Andrew Dykstra (who should be back in 2-3 weeks). Wiggans played decently against the Kickers, but the first goal he couldn't do much about (except maybe come out), and the second was a nice goal as well.

The rest is a bit of a mystery. In these back-to-back matches, the line ups very greatly. I imagine that a weaker line up would be put out against Charlotte, and a stronger against Pittsburgh. I can see Coleman playing 2 games, or a little of each. Wilson and Armstrong will most likely play one or the other, but besides that, my guess is as good as yours.

I think that Charleston could easily win both of these matches. The Charlotte match is important, as we can't lose points to a terrible team. Pittsburgh will be the toughest challenge, especially because of that quick turn around, but at worst I see Charleston getting a single.

The match against the Eagles will not be on USL Live, but it will be on 1340 AM in Charleston, and on the Battery's website. The match starts at 7:30 PM on Friday and will be played at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.

The fixture with the Riverhounds will be at Blackbaud Stadium 7:30 on Saturday and will be available on USL Live. It is the Battery's "Kick for a Cure," so make sure to go to the 'Baud and support the Battery.

If you need to contact me, e-mail me at SCSoccerblog@gmail.com. Also follow me on twitter http://twitter.com/#!/scsoccerblog.