The Charleston Battery ran riot over Loudoun United FC for a 4-1 home win in Week 17 of the USL Championship regular season at Patriots Point on Wednesday. Charleston secured their third consecutive league victory and extended their home unbeaten run to 21 games in the regular season. On the scoresheet for the Battery were Maalique Foster, Colton Swan, Emilio Ycaza and Jeremy Kelly, to round out the pawesome first Pups at the Pitch at Patriots Point.
Loudoun had some early looks for the first goal of the game, including a moment in the 6th minute when Christian Torres had a chance at an open net from inside the box. However, Nathan Messer was quick to fly back in and block Torres’ shot.
The Battery broke the game open in the 14th minute when Maalique Foster scored to give Charleston an early 1-0 lead. The tally was the result of a savvy give-and-go into the box by Emilio Ycaza and Miguel Berry, and Ycaza cut a pass back to Foster for the first-time strike.
With the goal, Foster extended his goalscoring streak to four consecutive games, bringing his 2026 total to six. Ycaza’s assist was his second of the season.
Charleston kept the pressure going and Joey Akpunonu nearly doubled the lead moments later, first with a long-range shot that hit off the crossbar, and another that was cleared off the line shortly thereafter.
Colton Swan doubled the Battery’s lead with a sensational curler from the edge of the box in the 41st minute. Ycaza again provided the service with a pass up to Swan, and from there, Swan teed up his shot and sent it to the upper 90 perfectly.
Swan’s goal was his 10th of the year across all competitions, his seventh in league play, and he extended his run of consecutive games with a goal contribution to five.
With the second assist of the night, Ycaza became the first Battery player to record a multi-assist game this year, bringing his total to three.
On the other end, Luis Zamudio made three saves in the first half to keep the visitors off the board.
Charleston took the 2-0 lead into the break.
Play resumed in the second half with the Battery back on the front foot.
A golden opportunity for a third goal came in the 50th minute when Luca Piras was booked for a foul inside the box against Graham Smith, resulting in a penalty being awarded to Charleston.
Ycaza stepped up to the spot to take the penalty and converted it with conviction, advancing the Battery’s lead to 3-0 in the 51st minute.
The goal was Ycaza’s fourth of the league season.
Charleston almost added a fourth goal in the 77th minute when Jeremy Kelly’s corner kick went untouched to the far post, hitting the woodwork, but never fully crossed over the line.
Loudoun managed to pull one back in the 81st minute via Piras, cutting the score to 3-1.
However, Charleston responded almost immediately when Kelly got his goal in the 86th minute to restore the three-goal lead and make the score 4-1. Kelly capitalized on an errant header by Bolu Akinyode in Loudoun’s defensive third, collecting the ball and driving into the box before slotting his shot to the far post.
Kelly’s goal was his second of the year, and marked the third straight game with a goal contribution (two goals, one assist in that span).
The offensive onslaught additionally put the Battery within reach reac of USL history, as one more goal would make them the first team in league history to record three consecutive five-goal performances.
This season, Charleston have scored eight goals in the last 15 minutes of the second half, no team has more in the Championship.
The Battery were unable to find a fifth goal in the time that remained, but secured the 4-1 victory over Loudoun for a third consecutive win. It also extended Charleston’s current unbeaten run at home to 21 matches in the regular season.
Charleston’s win advanced their record to 8W-4L-2D (26pts), placing them in second place and five points clear of third.
Emilio Ycaza turned in the performance of the night with two assists, one goal and a match-high four chances created. He additionally registered 11 recoveries, four interceptions and two duels won on defense.
Maalique Foster continued his red-hot form with another goal, extending his goalscoring streak to four consecutive games.
With his goal, Colton Swan also extended his streak of matches with a goal involvement to five, having tallied four goals and two assists in that span.
Graham Smith recorded a match-high seven clearances, along with three interceptions and five duels won.
The birthday boy, Luis Zamudio, made three saves in the win over his former club.
Charleston’s dominance in the series with Loudoun continued following the win, improving their record to 11W-1L-4D against the Virginia side. Additionally, Charleston’s current 14-game unbeaten run against Loudoun is now one result shy of tying for the longest undefeated streak in a series between two Championship clubs in USL play (regular season, postseason and USL Cup).
Head Coach Ben Pirmann, midfielder Emilio Ycaza and forward Maalique Foster addressed the media after the victory, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his overall thoughts on the match…
It was a good performance. Loudoun were aggressive in their press, they went man-to-man and caused us some problems. [Abdellatif] Aboukoura is as good a player as there is in the league, he causes problems, and it could have been a different story.
But I thought our boys were really good between the lines. Some nice goals. Our counterpress was very good. And then, very mature in the second half to see it out. So, good performance. Long week. We’re scoring goals. We want to button some things up, but very proud of this group.
Ycaza on the momentum of the team following the victory…
I think everything’s kind of coming together as a new group. So, the chemistry up front, the chemistry in the whole team, takes a while to build. But, I think we’re doing something right. You can see it on the scoreboard.
Even from the guys that are doing rehab and coming off injuries, they’re sharp, they’re ready. The guys coming off the bench, they’re raising the level, and those that get picked to start are playing great. So, everyone’s feeling good.
When you keep getting results, keep winning games, I think we’re six unbeaten, three wins in a row, it helps you feel good, and it grows the belief in the team.
Foster on his immediate takeaways from the win…
I think it was a good game. Maybe not the result they wanted, but I think it was a tough game. We stuck to our game plan and went there and did what we needed to do.
I just think the focus is there. I’m just locked in and ready to do whatever it takes to get the team to win. So, that’s just the focus. With Charleston, that’s the thing that drove me to the club, the attack. I love the way we attack. We have a lot of talent, so I think that’s just it.
Foster on his individual performances recently…
I’m like a slow starter. I’m the guy who just gradually gets into the game. So, I think my game is growing immensely, and I’m really happy I’m playing. I think the team and the coach are happy, so I’m just willing to do whatever it takes to get the team to the championship.
Charleston hit the road for their next match, against Indy Eleven on July 4. The Battery’s next home game will be on Sat., July 11, against the Charlotte Independence in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. 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, Akpunonu, Smith, Suber (Martinez, 84’), Pakhomov, Ycaza (Kissiedou, 70’), Kelly, Berry (Hughes, 70’), Foster (Cabrera, 70’), Swan (Allan, 61’)
LDN: Bandré, Awuah, Akinyode, Erlandson (Young, 79’), Adnan, Murphy, Souper (Panayotou, 46’), Aboukoura, Ordóñez (Aman, 69’), Torres (Piras, 46’), Úlfarsson
Scoring Summary
CHS – Maalique Foster, 14’ (Emilio Ycaza)
CHS – Colton Swan, 41’ (Emilio Ycaza)
CHS – Emilio Ycaza, 51’
LDN – Luca Piras, 81’ (Richard Aman)
CHS – Jeremy Kelly, 86’
