Match Preview: Charleston Battery v Indy Eleven

The Charleston Battery take on Indy Eleven at MUSC Health Stadium at 6:00 PM. Tonight’s match, which was scheduled to be played yesterday, was postponed due to the effects of Hurricane Dorian which passed through the Carolina’s late Wednesday night through Friday afternoon. It’s the start of a very busy month for the Battery who will play six matches in September, four of which are on the road.

Charleston lost 1-0 in Indy earlier this season with Tyler Pasher scoring the winning goal in the 84th minute after coming on at halftime as a substitute. Pasher leads the Eleven in goals scored (10) and has added two assists on the offensive end. Charleston will be without leading goal scorer Zeiko Lewis as the forward is on international duty with Bermuda. Former Battery forward Dane Kelly returns to MUSC Health Stadium and has scored six goals on the year.

The Battery were scheduled to play Memphis 901 FC on Monday following a postponement of the original match. A mandatory evacuation in the Charleston area forced the match to be rescheduled, once again, and will take place on October 16th. Charleston last played against the Charlotte Independence on August 30th in a 0-0 draw. While a frustrating result, the Battery created a number of scoring chances finishing with 19 shots and holding Charlotte to 5 total attempts (only one in the second half).

Indy have been impressive all season and show no signs of slowing down highlighted by a 1-0 win at home against the New York Red Bulls II. The Eleven are undefeated at home winning nine of thirteen matches at Lucas Oil Stadium. Indy’s defense has played at an elite level this season conceding just 18 goals; good for first in the USL Championship. Evan Newton and the Indy defense have eight shutouts at home but have been far from perfect on the road. Indy have conceded goals in five straight road matches and suffered a bad loss against Hartford Athletic on July 13th.

Playoff Watch – If the season ended today, Charleston would miss out on the 2019 USL Championship playoffs, finishing 11th in the Eastern Conference. Heading into tonight’s match, the Battery find themselves four points behind Saint Louis FC for the final playoff spot in the East. Saint Louis are in fine form having won three straight matches which include a 1-0 win against Eastern Conference heavyweights, Nashville SC, last night. Charleston has a two-game advantage over Saint Louis but will draw even going into next Saturday’s match against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds. There is plenty of time for the Battery to get back into the thick of it and a win tonight against a strong Indy team would do wonders for the Black and Yellow’s playoff hopes.

Indy have their eyes set on climbing the Eastern Conference ladder after shutting out the high flying New York offense. The Eleven have all but guaranteed themselves a place in the postseason and will focus on maintaining a top-four finish. Indy hold a three-match advantage over New York and Tampa and a four-match advantage over third-place Nashville. Indy host Ottawa Fury FC and Bethlehem Steel FC in back to back home matches on Wednesday and Saturday before playing four straight on the road.