The Battery host Memphis 901 FC at MUSC Health Stadium on July 13th at 7:30 PM. It will be Memphis’ first trip to Charleston since entering the USL Championship prior to the start of the 2019 season.
Charleston’s last match against Atlanta United 2, scheduled for July 5th, was postponed due to inclement weather and rescheduled for September 18th.
The Battery finished 1-1 against New York Red Bulls II on June 29th. Tah Brian Anunga picked up a straight red card on the stroke of halftime and the teams entered the break level at 0-0. Nicque Daley scored his second goal of the season in the 54th minute after Kotaro Higashi intercepted an errant pass in the midfield and played Daley through on goal. Daley held off New York defender Preston Kilwien to put the Battery up 1-0.
Mathias Jorgensen scored in the 80th minute after Jared Stroud’s deflected shot found the feet of the striker in the center of the box and he was able to sneak it past Kuzminsky.
Memphis 901 FC picked up three points against Hartford Athletic in a convincing 4-1 win on July 6th. Elliot Collier scored the first hat trick in Memphis history. Collier opened the scoring for Memphis in the 6th minute after picking up a pass down the left side and cutting into the box onto his right foot. With a yard of space at the top of the area, Collier beat goalkeeper Frederik Due low at the left post to record his 3rd goal of the season.
Collier netted his 2nd of the match 5 minutes later, finding himself in a similar position of his first goal, driving towards the goal line and putting his shot through the legs of Due. He’d complete his hat trick in the 75th minute on a wonderful solo run through the attacking third, giving Memphis a 3-1 lead. Substitute Lagos Kinga would add a fourth for Memphis in the 80th minute.
Previous Meeting
The Battery took three points against Memphis in dramatic fashion the last time the two teams met at AutoZone Park on April 27th. Dante Marini was the hero for the Battery breaking the deadlock in the final minute of stoppage time.
Marini scored his second goal of the season in the 93rd minute, putting the Battery up 1-0. Kyle Nelson played a pass across the face of goal looking for Arthur Bosua, who was making a strong drive to the near post. Jeff Caldwell made a play on the ball mishandling the low cross and Marini was first to the loose ball tapping it past a recovering Caldwell.
Goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky made four saves in the win, denying Memphis twice in a matter of 60 seconds in the 80th minute. Kuzminsky’s first save came off a deflected shot by Elliot Collier, pushing the attempt just wide of the left post on a terrific reaction save. Wesley Charpie forced Kuzminsky into a second save from the ensuing corner with a high header from eight yards out.
What to Watch For
Creative Midfielders (MEM) – It was an offensive explosion for Memphis last Saturday night and 901 FC will look to build on the win against the Battery tomorrow night. While Elliot Collier stole the show, Memphis midfielders Cam Lindley and Adam Najem were key playmakers in the 4-1 win. Lindley and Najem picked up assists against Hartford and lead the team in assists (2) and chances created (21) on the season. Lindley has started in eight of the last ten while Najem has been in the starting XI in twelve of the last thirteen.
Rested and Ready to Go (CHS) – With Charlestons last match against Atlanta United 2 postponed to September, the Battery are fresh and are looking to make a second-half run. “It was nice, we were able to give our guys Saturday and Sunday off, we had a lot of guys playing a lot of minutes said coach Anhaeuser after training on Friday. “You could see a lot of buzz in the player’s legs and it’s been fantastic.” Entering the second half of the season, the Battery finds themselves eight points of the top-four with a favorable schedule ahead. Four of the Battery’s next five opponents sit 10th or lower in the table, with a combined record of 12-33-21. “We’ve got a lot of our offensive weapons available, teams are going to have to worry about us.”
Charleston Battery: USL Championship Record, 5-4-8 (4-0-6)
Team Leaders:
Goals: Lewis (5)
Assists: Higashi (3)
Chances Created: Lewis (22)
Saves: Kuzminsky (40)
Clean Sheets: Kuzminsky (3)
Memphis 901 FC: USL Championship Record, 3-8-5 (2-4-3)
Team Leaders
Goals: Collier (5)
Assists: Lindley, Najem (2)
Chances Created: Lindley, Najem (21)
Saves: Caldwell (28)
Clean Sheets: Caldwell (2)
