The Charleston Battery demolished Loudoun United FC in a commanding 4-1 win in Week 25 of the USL Championship on Sunday at Patriots Point. Charleston scored early and often as Jeremy Kelly and Cal Jennings scored in quick succession in the first half, followed by a pair of tallies in the second half by Arturo Rodríguez and MD Myers. Rubio Rubín notched a pair of assists, matching the team’s single-game high in 2025.
After the original kickoff date was postponed one day due to severe storms impacting the Charleston area, the Battery and Loudoun kicked off amid pleasant skies and clear conditions at Patriots Point.
The visitors started the night on the front foot and tested goalkeeper Luis Zamudio early, with Abdellatif Aboukoura recording the day’s first shot on target in the 2nd minute, which Zamudio saved. Zamudio then denied Omari Glasgow’s on-target free kick in the 13th minute.
The Battery struck first in the 15th minute off a sensational curler by Jeremy Kelly from the top of the box. The opportunity was created off Rubio Rubin’s blocked shot in the box, and the rebound fell right to Kelly. From there, Kelly teed up his shot and went top bins to make the score 1-0.
Kelly’s goal was his first with the Battery.
Charleston kept their foot on the gas and did not stop there. Just minutes later, Cal Jennings doubled the lead with a clinical header in the 18th minute. Arturo Rodríguez’s long cross was placed perfectly to Jennings’ run, and the striker didn’t miss at the far post.
The goal marked Jennings’ 13th of the year, his 12th in league play, placing him tied for the lead in the Championship’s Golden Boot race. Rodríguez picked up his fifth assist of the campaign.
Charleston continued to press forward and Rodríguez nearly added to the Battery’s lead in the 29th minute when his shot curled just wide of the frame. Aaron Molloy and Houssou Landry also recorded shots just before the half-hour mark.
Zamudio was tested frequently but stayed strong, recording five saves in the first half.
The Battery took the 2-0 lead into the interval, but the game was relatively even beyond the scoreline. Charleston had a slim majority of possession retained (53.5%) while Loudoun recorded more shots (nine to eight).
Play resumed in the second half with Charleston applying heavy pressure early. Kelly forced goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux to make a save just 39 seconds into the half, a stinger from inside the box.
The Battery extended their lead to 3-0 in the 53rd minute when Rodríguez delivered a thundering first-time strike past Fauroux. Langston Blackstock initiated the movement forward with a pass to Rubín, who drew the attention of two defenders inside the box before sliding the ball to Rodríguez. From there, the Mexican midfielder made no mistake when firing the ball into the net.
Rodríguez’s goal was his sixth of the season, and the assist was Rubín’s second.
In the 63rd minute, newly subbed on MD Myers made an immediate impact and tallied the Battery’s fourth goal of the day. Rubín again provided the assist when he played a perfectly weighted ball through the defense to Myers. Myers then flashed some footwork in front of goal to weave through the defense and past Fauroux with a left-footed strike.
The goal was Myers’ 14th of the year across all competitions, the most on the team, and his 10th in league play. It also moved Myers into third in the Golden Boot race.
Rubín’s assist was his third of the year, and he became the third Battery player to notch a multi-assist game in 2025.
Loudoun managed to pull a goal back in the 71st minute via Robby Dambrot, cutting the score to 4-1.
The visitors were afforded a chance to add to their score in the 77th minute after they were awarded a penalty following a foul in the box by Graham Smith. However, Arquímides Ordóñez’s spot attempt hit the woodwork and his follow-up shot into the net was chalked off for a double-touch, nullifying the goal.
Charleston saw out the rest of the game from there, securing the 4-1 win and capping off a dominant day at Patriots Point. It’s the Battery’s ninth win in 14 all-time meetings with Loudoun.
The win moves Charleston’s record to 15W-4L-2D (47pts), placing them in second place in the Eastern Conference and one point behind Louisville City FC.
Luis Zamudio ended the match with seven saves, a new single-game high for the shot-stopper in 2025.
Rubio Rubin and Arturo Rodriguez each had productive days at the office, co-leading the game in chances created both contributing a pair of goal involvements.
Aaron Molloy had a busy game, leading the game with 117 touches, including 96 completed passes, in addition to two chances created, two tackles won, four duels won and eight recoveries.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann, midfielder Jeremy Kelly and forward Cal Jennings addressed the media after the match, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his overall takeaways from victory…
We were a little slow for the first 90 seconds, maybe two minutes, but then we got going. This league is tough, Loudoun is in third place, and they’re pushing. They’re having the best season in their club’s history. Ryan [Martin] is a tremendous coach, and he’s got them firing as one of the best attacking teams in the country.
We knew we were up against it, but we also knew we wanted to be aggressive, whether that was with our movements going forward, our counter-press, or putting them under pressure. It was hot, it was humid, and the field, as I mentioned, was very sluggish. But our boys pushed. I thought we increased the intensity at halftime, turned the screw on them, and got the deserving win.
Coach Pirmann on riding this momentum forward…
We’re not letting anything get in the way of us playing aggressively, selflessly, together. We’re not going to play great every game. We’re not going to be perfect in our moments.
But, you saw some of the football we played was tremendous. You saw the goals. You saw the performances from Luis [Zamudio]. You saw everybody chip in. That’s what it has to be about, that mentality when we walk out of that locker room. We’ll come back Tuesday, and everything’s about going to Rhode Island and beating them.
Kelly on scoring his first goal for the club…
Credit to Rubio [Rubín], he did most of the work. He tried to shoot it, and it came back to me, and I just hit it. Sometimes you hit it, you hit a zone, and then it goes into the upper-90. It was nice to see.
You take a quick glance up at the keeper and you see where he is. I’m much better when I finesse it, I don’t have too much power on me, so that’s just what I do anyway.
It’s always nice to be the first one on the scoresheet and set the tempo for the game. I was hoping it was going to come sooner rather than later. I’m so happy it came today.
Jennings on scoring his first goal since June…
I was just trying to get in a dangerous position. We broke down the right side of the field, and I peeled off to the back, and Arturo [Rodríguez] played a fantastic ball, and at that point in time, it was just about getting it on target.
Arturo played a fantastic ball to the back post when I was peeling off, and I was just trying to make good contact with it and redirect it. Honestly, I thought I put in a really good place at the back post.
Jennings on the goal boosting his confidence…
It had been a while since I’d scored, and that’s difficult for a striker. But there’s periods in the season where you go through and you’re like, ‘Okay, I’m just going to try and do things right, try and be in the right spots, try and do my work defensively, try and set others up, and then know that it’s going to happen.’
And honestly, I thought I was a little bit unfortunate a couple of games earlier, hit the post a few times, and some goalkeepers made some fantastic saves. But you just have to keep a short memory, keep going and trust your teammates to put you in a good position.
Jennings on the fan support after the initial match was postponed to Sunday…
I think we’re just so appreciative that they came out. This game was supposed to be played yesterday, but we still had a fantastic crowd. We needed them tonight. It’s been a while since we’ve been home, and we love playing at home in front of our home crowd, and I think we gave them a show tonight, so we’re happy about it.
Charleston’s next match will be away vs. Rhode Island FC on Sat., Aug. 30. The Battery’s next home game is on Sat., Sept. 6, against Indy Eleven. Tickets for Kick Childhood Cancer Night at Patriots Point are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups and Scoring Summary
Lineups
CHS: Zamudio, Blackstock (Dossantos, 60’), Smith, Archer (Akpunonu, 76’), Houssou, Ycaza, Molloy, Kelly (Martínez, 76’), Rubín (Edwards, 84’), Rodríguez, Jennings (Myers, 60’)
LDN: Fauroux, Awuah, Dambrot, Leerman, Tingey, McCabe, Nyeman (Skundrich, 46’), Aboukoura (Mines, 68’), Valot, Glasgow (Ordonez, 46’), Ryan (Bidois, 59’)
Scoring Summary
CHS – Jeremy Kelly, 15’
CHS – Cal Jennings, 18’ (Arturo Rodríguez)
CHS – Arturo Rodríguez, 53’ (Rubio Rubín)
CHS – MD Myers, 63’ (Rubio Rubín)
LDN – Robby Dambrot, 71’ (Riley Bidois)
