The Charleston Battery were dealt a 1-0 road defeat against Sacramento Republic FC on Wednesday at Heart Health Park. After a scoreless first half, Sacramento’s goal just minutes into the second half proved to be the difference. The Battery now have one more regular season match remaining during the week before the USL Championship Playoffs commence at Patriots Point on November 2.
The match kicked off on Wednesday after being previously scheduled for October 5, being forced to move back due to Sacramento’s participation in the USL Jägermeister Cup Final.
Charleston’s lineup featured ample rotation, with seven players slotting into the starting lineup: Christian Garner, Nathan Dossantos, Graham Smith, Michael Edwards, Viggo Ortiz, Rubio Rubín and Wesley Leggett.
Both teams applied equal pressure going forward in the early stages of the contest. Charleston nearly found the opener in the 17th minute when Ortiz connected with Douglas Martínez on a corner kick, but Martínez’s glancing header at the near post was saved by goalkeeper Danny Vitiello.
The attacking chances began to slow in the latter stages of the first half. Sacramento went roughly 35 minutes without another shot, and did not have a shot on target through the 45th minute.
Sacramento registered a pair of close shots in stoppage time, a blocked attempt by Rodrigo Lopez and a header off target by Khori Bennett, but the game went into the break tied at 0-0. Charleston held about 61% possession in the first half.
Play resumed in the second half with all still to play for.
Sacramento managed to score the opener in the 50th minute via Khori Bennett, taking a 1-0 lead.
After going down, the Battery continued to apply pressure in search of an equalizer. Cal Jennings, Houssou Landry, Aaron Molloy and Rubín all recorded shots, but none were on target.
Charleston’s best chance of the second half came off an advance in the 90th minute when Arturo Rodríguez led an attack down the right flank. Rodríguez sent a low cross to Rubín, and Rubín beat two defenders for a first-time shot. However, the attempt was saved.
A noteworthy moment occurred in the 91st minute when Diego Rodríguez entered the match off the bench, officially making his USL Championship debut. It marked the 19-year-old USL Academy signing’s second career professional appearance in 2025.
Despite the Battery’s late efforts for an equalizer, Sacramento held on to secure the 1-0 win.
The result moved Charleston’s record to 18W-6L-5D (59pts), and was the first defeat for the Battery against a Western Conference side.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and forward Rubio Rubín addressed the match after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his overall takeaways from the match…
It was a tough situation, going across the country for a midweek game with seven or eight changes. But, I thought the boys played hard and played together. Individually, we didn’t have our best game, and with all the changes, we just weren’t as sharp, connected, or in rhythm as we normally are.
A lot of that is credit to Sacramento. They’re very good defensively, especially at home. They’re organized, compact, and don’t give up much space, so there wasn’t much to it.
We conceded a goal that was soft on our end, poor marking, poor duel-winning, and we should have cleared it. Otherwise, there weren’t many chances for either team, certainly not for them.
We pushed in the final 30 minutes, created some good attacks and actions, and probably needed to finish one off. We didn’t, so fair play to them. Danny Vitiello is a good goalkeeper.
Overall, when you make that many changes and still play together and compete hard against a top team on the road, you can be satisfied with the performance and get ready for Saturday.
Coach Pirmann on the new player combinations used tonight…
I’m not sure we learned anything new, but the positive was that some guys who have been training really well and hadn’t had many minutes lately earned the opportunity to step in. That helps with rhythm, whether that’s Christian Garner in goal, Michael Edwards at center-back, Viggo Ortiz had a solid first half, Wes Leggett getting his first minutes, or Mark Segbers getting a full 90. It was also good to have Rubio Rubín back starting.
Coach Pirmann on turning the page to the regular season finale…
Right now, both mentally and physically, we need to rest and recover. Tomorrow will be a long travel day, and Friday we’ll prepare as much as possible for Birmingham. They’re tough, well-coached, talented, and playing carefree. There’s not much time, but we’ll focus on getting as fresh and ready as possible, both mentally and physically.
Rubín on his assessment of the match…
Overall, I thought the team’s performance was solid. We had a completely new lineup, but as a whole, we did a good job putting pressure on Sacramento early in the game. Unfortunately, we conceded early in the second half and we had chances, but couldn’t find the equalizer.
Rubín on the personnel changes in the lineup for the game…
It was important for more guys to get reps, especially with crucial games coming up, as every person in the locker room is important to us lifting a trophy come November 22. And going into the playoffs, we know what we need to do to win a championship, we just have to believe in our qualities, and good things will come. I’m also happy for Viggo and Diego taking the next step in their professional careers. We are looking forward to finishing off the season with a win on Saturday.
Charleston return home to face Birmingham Legion FC on Sat., Oct. 25, for the regular season finale at Patriots Point. Tickets for the 5 p.m. ET match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups and Scoring Summary
Lineups
SAC: Vitiello, Desmond, Kleemann, Timmer (Baker, 46’), Spaulding (Ukaegbu, 78’), Lopez (Benítez, 65’), Fernandes, Gurr, Wanner (Jamieson, 78’), Portillo (Parano, 70’), Bennett
CHS: Garner, Dossantos, Smith, Edwards, Martínez (A. Rodríguez, 65’), Ortiz (Molloy, 46’), Houssou (Kelly, 82’), Segbers, Rubín, Myers (Jennings, 46’), Leggett (D. Rodríguez, 90’ +1)
Scoring Summary
SAC – Corey Bennett, 50’ (Lee Desmond)
