Charleston beats El Paso. It's three in a row! The Charleston Battery defeated A-League rival the El Paso Patriots, by a score of 2 goals to 1 in an absolute thriller Friday night at Blackbaud Stadium. 3,315 Battery fans showed their approval for an exciting game of football that showcased some of the best talent in the league. The win propels the Battery to a record of 7-3-2 good for 34 points, and second spot in the Eastern Conference, Atlantic Division. Charleston still has a game in hand over division leader, the Richmond Kickers. The victory also extended the Battery win streak to three. The first half began rather tentatively as might be expected when two teams of such high caliber meet. Both sides attacked cautiously trying to probe weaknesses in the others defense. The first real chance of the game fell to the Battery however. In the 23rd minute Charleston were awarded a free-kick deep in the El Paso half. Spotting an early run from Battery forward Mac Cozier, veteran attacker, Paul Conway poked a pass into Cozier's stride. The Patriots defense were caught off-balance and it looked as if Charleston would snatch the early lead. But, right at the last moment, Bulgarian National team goalkeeper, Dimitar Popov came off his line to meet Cozier's run. The ensuing shot cannoned into the side-netting and the scores were still level. In the 34th minute, however, even Popov could do nothing to prevent Charleston from taking the lead. Some superb interplay between Todd Miller and Mac Cozier resulted in Cozier finding himself free on the touchline inside the 6-yard box. He glanced up and calmly flicked the ball to Paul Conway. Conway drove the ball into the bottom left-hand corner of the net and Charleston had a one goal lead. El Paso gamely tried to get back on terms before the half ended, but it was the Battery who came closest to scoring. Notably when Popov denied Conway from the edge of the box in the 43rd minute. At half time the score was Charleston1, El Paso 0. After the break El Paso played with much more purpose and finally leveled the scores in the 63rd minute. A combination of neat passing and speedy counter-attacking gave substitute, Antonio Martinez a chance to break on the near side of the pitch. He raced to the touchline in the process getting past Charleston stopper, Dusty Hudock. From there it was a simple pass into the middle that Mark Rowland rolled into the goal. At this point the game was there for the taking and would be decided by the team with greater determination to prevail. After a hard fought, scrappy period super-sub, Jon Akin would provide the opportunity for Charleston to take the game. In the 85th minute, he raced clear into the El Paso penalty area. Tracking back was the experienced Bulgarian defender Dimitar Dimitrov. As Akin was about to unleash his shot, Dimitrov screamed in from behind, felling the young Battery prospect. Akin tumbled and the referee was left no choice; a penalty kick for the home side. Dean Sewell, the Jamaican International, claimed the responsibility, and calmly slotted the ball into the net, sending Popov the wrong way in the process. At this point, with minimal time left on the clock the Battery would not be denied. They fought hard, right to the end and the Charleston Battery faithful were rewarded with yet another home win. Still undefeated at home, the Battery travels to Raleigh next Wednesday for a 7:00 pm game with the Capital Express. The game will be broadcast live by the Charleston Battery Skattells radio network on 910 AM WTMZ. It can also be accessed from the Charleston Battery web-site, pre-game begins 6:45 pm.
Scoring Summary: Line Ups:
Battery: Hudock, Warham, Jean-Baptiste, Sancho, Miller, Sewell,
Spooner, Suarez, Cozier (Akin 70) Woods, Conway.
Saves: Battery (Hudock) 3, Patriots (Popov) 4. Fouls: Battery 13, Patriots 16. Offsides: Battery 4, Patriots 3. Corners: Battery 9, Patriots 4. Cautions: Battery, Warham (21) Patriots, Georgiev (76) Ejections: none. Weather: warm with a light breeze. Charleston Battery Man of the Match: Dean Sewell. |