The Charleston Battery earned their fifth draw in six league games Saturday night at MUSC Health Stadium in a match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds that ended scoreless.
With the heat index over 100 degrees at kickoff, the game started slow. Pittsburgh sat back while the Battery put together good spells of possession. The visitors absorbed the pressure, limiting Charleston’s scoring chances and the two teams went into the break scoreless.
Gordon Wild came closest to breaking the 0-0 deadlock from a free kick in the 56th minute. Wild struck the dead ball on frame, forcing goalkeeper Dan Lynd to make a save. Lynd tipped the ball onto the crossbar. After Lynd’s save, the ball hit the goal line and bounced out, denying Wild his fourth goal of the season.
The Riverhounds had their best scoring opportunity of the night shortly after Wild’s strike. Kenardo Forbes served an outswinging corner into the penalty area in the path of Joe Greenspan’s near post run. Greenspan rose up and nodded the ball on frame forcing Joe Kuzminsky to make a reaction save at the near post.
The save preserved Kuzminsky’s fifth and the Battery’s sixth shutout through 15 USL games. Kuzminsky’s five clean sheets have him tied for fifth-best in the league.
Following Saturday’s draw, the Battery will head back out on the road for back-to-back matches away from home. They’ll take on Toronto FC II on Sunday, July 1 and North Carolina FC on Saturday, July 7 before returning home to host Indy Eleven on Wednesday, July 11.
BOX SCORE:
CHARLESTON – Joe Kuzminsky, Leland Archer, Skylar Thomas, Neveal Hackshaw, O’Brian Woodbine (Jay Bolt, 84), Tah Brian Anunga, Angelo Kelly, Jarad van Schaik, Gordon Wild (Ian Svantesson, 89), Kotaro Higashi (Nico Rittmeyer, 68), Ataulla Guerra
Substitutes – Odisnel Cooper, Robert Beebe, Ryan Arambula, Patrick Okonkwo
PITTSBURGH – Dan Lynd, Joe Greenspan, Hugh Roberts (yellow card, 74), Tobi Adewole, Raymond Lee, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Jordan Dover, Christiano Francois (Dabo Mouhamed, 68), Kenardo Forbes, Kevin Kerr (Joseph Holland, 87), Romeo Parkes (Neco Brett, 61)
Substitutes – Michael Kirk, Todd Pratzner, Andrew Lubhan, Kay Banjo
