The Charleston Battery knocked out Rhode Island FC after winning the penalty shootout, 5-4, following a 1-1 draw after extra time in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the USL Championship Playoffs at Patriots Point on Saturday. Charleston were staring down elimination going into the final minutes of stoppage time until Miguel Berry scored the equalizer to force extra time. After two scoreless periods of extra time, the Battery won the shootout thanks to heroics from goalkeeper John Berner and Jeremy Kelly in the sixth round of the shootout.
The evening kicked off amid perfect conditions at Patriots Point as Charleston and Rhode Island met in the postseason for the third consecutive year. The Battery were looking seeking redemption after Rhode Island advanced in the previous two playoff meetings.
Rhode Island registered the first shot of the match in the 6th minute on an Amos Shapiro-Thompson strike from distance toward the bottom-left corner. Goalkeeper Luis Zamudio dove to his right and made the save.
The visitors were gifted an opportunity to take the lead in the 28th minute after being awarded a penalty, conceded by Houssou Landry for a foul against Grant Stoneman. Zamudio saved the spot attempt by Jojea Kwizera, but the rebound fell right back to Kwizera, who then scored to put Rhode Island ahead 0-1.
A contentious moment occurred moments later when the Battery looked to immediately respond with an equalizer. In the 32nd minute, Houssou played a ball into the box to Maalique Foster, and Foster charged forward for a shot on goal but was also taken out by Rhode Island’s Karifa Yao. Foster’s shot was deflected and cleared off the line by Stoneman while appeals for a penalty were made by Charleston for the contact against Foster. However, no such call was made by the officials.
Rhode Island took the 0-1 lead into the break in what was a spirited first half where both sides each received two yellow cards.
Play resumed for the second stanza with Charleston looking to level the score.
Colton Swan registered the Battery’s first shot on target of the match in the 57th minute. Swan received the ball from a quick Douglas Martínez pass and sent his shot across the box to the far post. However, goalkeeper Koke Vegas parried the ball away.
In the 59th minute, appeals for a penalty from the Battery came again when Martínez appeared to be taken down in the box during a corner kick, but no call was made.
Charleston continued to dominate possession and pressure in the second half and held roughly 79% possession through the first half-hour of the second half, totaling 158 passes and four shots to Rhode Island’s 44 and zero.
Miguel Berry nearly leveled the score in the 87th minute with a promising opportunity inside the box while the Rhode Island defense was scrambling back. However, Berry was unable to get a clean shot off before the visitors nullified the threat.
In the 93rd minute, Charleston made a forceful effort toward goal that included blocked shots by Berry and Emilio Ycaza amid the scrum in front of goal.
The Battery finally broke through in the final moments of stoppage time when Berry scored in the 94th minute to even the score at 1-1. Laurent Kissiedou lofted a long cross into the box right to Berry, whose initial header was blocked by Frank Nodarse. However, Berry remained committed to the play and flicked the rebound past Vegas to the far post to force extra time.
Berry’s goal is his first of the postseason and his 11th across all competitions in 2026.
Charleston and Rhode Island sent the game into extra time with the score tied at 1-1. For all intents and purposes, the Battery dominated the second half, recording 11 shots to Rhode Island’s one, in addition to holding 76% possession.
The first period of extra time kicked off with a clean slate and all to play for, as a trip to the conference semifinals was on the line.
In the 93rd minute, Rhode Island’s Yao directed a header toward the near post off a corner kick, but Zamudio reacted quickly to make the save.
Langston Blackstock was on target in the 98th minute with a strong strike to the near post that was saved by Vegas.
Neither side found a breakthrough after the first period of extra time, and the score remained at 1-1.
Play resumed for the final period of extra time to decide a winner before a potential penalty shootout.
Ycaza was within inches of a go-ahead goal in the 118th minute when his strike went just wide of the far post. Berry was also close to a winner in the 121st minute, but his curler from inside the box went just outside the near post.
With a penalty shootout looming, Head Coach Ben Pirmann made a goalkeeper swap with John Berner brought in to relieve Luis Zamudio.
After 120 minutes, the score remained at 1-1 and the match officially ended in a draw. A penalty shootout was triggered to decide who would advance to the next round.
Both teams went three-for-three to start the shootout, but in the fourth round Rhode Island’s Hugo Bacharach skied his over the crossbar and Graham Smith’s attempt was saved. Koke Vegas and Laurent Kissiedou then converted in the fifth round to force sudden death in the shootout.
Berner made a clutch save on Augustin Rodriguez’s attempt to tee up Jeremy Kelly with a chance to end the game in the sixth round.
Calm, cool and collected, Kelly slotted his shot past Vegas’ reach to win the shootout for the Battery.
Charleston officially advanced to the Eastern Conference Semifinals for the first time since 2024 after winning the penalty shootout, 5-4, following the 1-1 draw.
The Battery will host Hartford Athletic on Sat., Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. ET, in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Tickets are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann, goalkeeper John Berner and midfielder Jeremy Kelly addressed the media after the match, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his immediate summary of the match…
The first 20 to 25 minutes were very poor. That was on me. [Rhode Island] were up for it, we were not. We knew they were big. We knew they were strong. We knew they were aggressive and more physical, but we weren’t ready. We said, ‘set the tone, let’s get into them, let’s knock somebody,’ and we didn’t. We didn’t. We were second best, second-best coach, second-best players.
And then our guys just, we made some adjustments. I had to make a sub, switch some things at half, and the boys were fantastic.
So, John Berner summed it up right before penalties. He said, ‘I’m proud of you.’ We knew this was going to be tough. We overcame it, and it was the men. It was the boys. It was the players on the team. It wasn’t anybody else. It was them and our fans that pushed it.
Coach Pirmann on the changes after halftime…
I thought we, in the second half, in overtime, we were on them. We tweaked things. We got everything right. Loads and loads of chances. Even in injury time, in the 125th minute, Miguel gets a breakaway, and they have to come up big.
And then look, 50-50 in the shootout. Hadn’t gone our way the last four years. Didn’t go our way last year. And [John Berner], brave. Laurent on that fifth shot, holy cow, man. So proud of that kid, holy cow. And then there, Jeremy, at the end to win it.
So, it’s a big performance. Like you said, how doesn’t matter. So, we’ll recover. We are banged up. We’ll recover. We haven’t beaten Hartford yet this season, so we got to go.
Berner on being called in off the bench for the penalty shootout…
We had talked about it earlier in the week, and I’ve been training pens well. He made a little comment like, it could happen. And yesterday he said, ‘Look, if we have the sub, it’s going to happen.’
So just try and stay patient, try and stay present. If it gets there, great. If not, then hopefully we win in regulation. But like I said, you just try and stay patient, try and stay present, and kind of let the moment come to you. I’m happy the boys pulled out a victory.
Kelly on winning the penalty shootout to advance…
It’s a flip of a coin. But [John Berner] came up big, very big, and we’ve seen him do that in training a lot.
The whole game, we just stuck with it. I think to have that in the first round of the playoffs, is such a good sign for the rest of it, because hopefully we don’t have to do this again. But if we do, we’re going to be up for it.
Pens, I think everybody just tries to step up, saying whatever happens, happens. It’s as much a mindset going into the pens, and I was proud of all the guys for stepping up with confidence.
The Battery’s next match will be at home in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sat., Nov. 7, against Hartford Athletic for the next round of the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET at Patriots Point, and tickets for the playoff game are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups and Scoring Summary
Lineups
CHS: Zamudio (Berner, 118’), Messer (Suber, 46’), Akpunonu, Smith, Martínez, Kelly, Ycaza, Allan (Houssou, 27’, Kissiedou, 69’), Foster (Blackstock, 91’), (Swan, 78’), Berry
RI: Vegas, Nodarse, Yao, Stoneman (Rodríguez, 115’), Scardina (Sanchez, 88’), Herivaux (Foyo, 37’), Bacharach, Kwizera, Afonso (Klein, 88’), Shapiro-Thompson (Tsukada, 106’), Korzeniowski (Fuson, 78’)
Scoring Summary
RI – Jojea Kwizera, 28’
CHS – Miguel Berry, 90’+4
Penalty Shootout Summary
RI – Yutaro Tsukada, Make
CHS – Sean Suber, Make
RI – Karifa Yao, Make
CHS – Emilio Ycaza, Make
RI – Hugo Bacharach, Miss
CHS – Graham Smith, Miss
RI – Koke Vegas, Make
CHS – Laurent Kissiedou, Make
RI – Agustín Rodríguez, Miss
CHS – Jeremy Kelly, Make
