The Charleston Battery secured all three points in a dominant 4-0 win over Sporting Club Jacksonville at Patriots Point on Saturday. Colton Swan’s brace highlighted the complete team performance, and goals by Maalique Foster and Kirill Pakhomov, along with a shutout by Luis Zamudio, rounded out the evening. Charleston’s win over Jacksonville came in the first official meeting between the clubs.
After a day overflowing with rain in the Lowcountry, Charleston and Jacksonville kicked off amid cool and relatively calm conditions after the storms had passed.
Jeremy Kelly issued the first warning shots of the game with two attempts in the opening seven minutes as Charleston pushed aggressively into the final third.
The complexion of the game was changed in the 18th minute when Jacksonville’s Tyshawn Rose was shown a straight red card for a last-man foul against Maalique Foster. The infraction reduced the visitors to 10 men for the remainder of the evening.
After waves of pressure while up a man, the Battery broke the deadlock in the 28th minute on a header from Colton Swan to go up 1-0. Houssou Landry provided the service after some cheeky footwork to create space for a cross, and Swan was on target with his header inside the box.
The goal marked Swan’s fourth of the year across all competitions, and the assist was Houssou’s first.
Charleston maintained the momentum and did not have to wait long to add to their lead. This time, Maalique Foster fired a shot past goalkeeper Christian Olivares to put the Battery ahead 2-0 in the 32nd minute. It was a well-worked team goal that included touches from roughly half the squad in the build-up, before Kelly connected with Foster for the tally.
Foster’s goal was his second of the year across all competitions in Battery colors, and Kelly’s assist was his fourth of the year, the most on the team.
Kirill Pakhomov added his name to the scoresheet just 10 minutes later to elevate the Battery’s lead to 3-0 in the 42nd minute. Pakhomov put on a strong display to retain possession just outside the 18-yard box, and then unleashed a curler that banked off the post and went into the net.
It was the second goal of the season for the Russian rookie.
Charleston took the 3-0 lead into the break after taking full advantage of the one-man advantage. In the first half, the Battery outshot Jacksonville seven to one, and held roughly 71% possession.
Play resumed in the second half with the Battery looking to maintain their momentum from the first stanza.
Colton Swan notched his second goal of the night in the 64th minute, extending Charleston’s lead to 4-0. Nathan Messer delivered a pinpoint corner kick into the box to Swan, and the striker rose above the defense to send the header inside the near post.
Swan’s brace marked his first in USL Championship play this season and his second across all competitions, following a two-goal performance against Florida Badgers FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in March.
Additionally, Swan extended his team lead to five goals across all competitions, and three in league play. Messer’s assist brings his total to three, tying for the team lead alongside Kelly and Joey Akpunonu.
Messer notched his third assist of the season, joining Jeremy Kelly as tied for second in the USL Championship Golden Playmaker race.
Not slowing down, Charleston almost added a fifth goal via Wilmer Cabrera in the 79th minute, but his strike on target was saved off the crossbar by Olivares. Cabrera came close again in the 88th minute, but his shot was saved and rolled along the goal line and never crossed over.
Charleston secured the 4-0 shutout victory with a comprehensive performance against Jacksonville in the first official meeting between the sides.
The win advances the Battery’s record to 4W-3L-1D (13pts), moving them to fourth in the Eastern Conference table, as of writing.
Luis Zamudio enjoyed a relatively calm evening for his second clean sheet of the year, not needing to make any saves, while recording a perfect 22 of 22 passes and four of four long balls.
Maalique Foster turned in a productive day in attack, recording the Battery’s second goal and playing a key role in setting up the third goal.
Kirill Pakhomov was effective on both sides of the ball, scoring one goal and leading the team with 11 duels won and four tackles won.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and forward Colton Swan discussed the victory after the match, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his overall takeaways from the win…
Yeah, we wanted to be aggressive. We wanted to use our counter press to keep them back. The second goal was a perfect example of that. We try the through ball, it gets blocked, Nate Messer steps in, and then we keep the ball high for the second finish. So, that comes down to the willingness to run, the communication, the aggression, the anticipation at home. We have to be like that. We have to be really assertive and push on teams. So, the goals and the outcome at 4-0 are the result of the hard work, and the boys did that, especially in transition.
Coach Pirmann on his assessment of the team’s attack…
Jeremy had the early shot at 0-0, and then, after the red card, we were able to lean into it a little bit, but we only had six shots in the first half, and you finished three. So, that’s good efficiency. For me, it’s about the quality chances, not as much the quantity. But there is an element of quantity getting numbers in the box, especially tonight, when it’s slippery, to use that counter press that we talked about. For us, the big issues so far this season has been finishing the attack and then transition defending. So, that was a good night, good moment to get better. We have a bye weekend, and then we go back to the [USL Cup]. So, next week will be a very difficult week of training. We just want to keep getting better.
Swan on his two goals scored tonight…
My head, per usual, is something that is definitely a huge part of my game, especially being a number nine. My profile as a player, that’s something that’s been super strength for me since I was 10 years old.
Yeah. I mean, when the ball is flying my way, I just try to do my best to put it in the net. But yeah, as you say, a bit past first, I would say that’s been my game my entire life. I love passing the ball, but scoring the ball is just that much more fun, honestly. So I got to keep doing that.
Swan on his overall thoughts of the match…
Yeah, away trips are tough, and we have a pretty tough away schedule this year, but we got through it. Some tough results, but we battled through it, got our heads back into it, and a huge three points, very comfortable three points, which is always fun at home. I’m sure [the fans] are glad we’re able to enjoy it and hopefully enjoy it tonight, celebrate.
Yeah, I think the whole front line did absolutely unbelievable tonight. [A] red card early helps us to be on the front foot and be a bit more aggressive, but I think we took our chances really well. I say it a lot, being a forward and an attacking player, it’s a very streaky position, so I just got to stay on this hot streak.
Charleston will have a bye next week and then hit the road for their next two matches: Richmond Kickers (May 16) and New Mexico United (May 23). The Battery’s next home game will be on Sat., May 30, against Detroit City FC for Military Appreciation Night at Patriots Point. Tickets for the match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups and Scoring Summary
Lineups
CHS: Zamudio, Messer (Blackstock, 65’), Akpunonu (Suber, 46’), Smith, Foster (Cabrera, 65’), Ycaza, Pakhomov, Kelly (Wayne, 75’), Berry, Swan, Houssou (Martínez, 46’)
JAX: Olivares, Rose, Gomez, Edwards, Neville, Evans (Soto, 60’), Roberts (Kuzain, 72’), Rossiter, Al Qaq, Jääskeläinen, Armstrong (Granitur, 84’)
Scoring Summary
CHS – Colton Swan, 28’ (Houssou Landry)
CHS – Maalique Foster, 32’ (Jeremy Kelly)
CHS – Kirill Pakhomov, 42’
CHS – Colton Swan, 64’ (Nathan Messer)
