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CHARLESTON — The Charleston Battery coaching staff will welcome unsigned prospects to MUSC Health Stadium for two Battery Player Trials on January 27-28 and February 10-11, the club announced Wednesday. The trials are open to all players pursuing a career in professional soccer.

“We get lots of inquiries from players who want to play for the Battery, and bringing them in to scrimmage  with some of our guys is a good way to evaluate their talent,” Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser said. “Most won’t make the team, obviously, but we invite the best to come back for our combine, and some earn spots on our roster.”

“We’ve found some very good players through this process over the years, including some who went on to sign with other professional teams, too. If we find someone with talent, we’ll do our best to help them sign a professional contract whether it’s with us or somewhere else. I think for most of them, it’s a valuable experience regardless of whether they wind up signing a USL contract that season.”

Registration is $150 for either of the two-day trials at MUSC Health Stadium.

To register, fill out the online form here: Trials Registration 

It is recommended that interested players register now as participation in each trial is capped. With a capped number, all players will be under the close attention of Battery coaches and staff for the duration of the trials.

The two-day trials begin with sign-in and orientation at 1:00 p.m. on the first day. The players participate in small sided games for the entirety of day one, which wraps up around 5:00 p.m. Day two includes full sided matches and runs from 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Returning Battery players typically participate in the scrimmages.

Coach Anhaeuser and the technical staff have signed at least one player from every trial since they started in 2002. The most successful player to emerge from Charleston Battery Open Trials was Jose Cuevas (2012) who earned Rookie of the Year honors in his first year with the team.

The stadium will be open for the event, spectators are welcome, and there is no charge to attend.

TORONTO, ON – Former Battery star, Osvaldo “Ozzie” Alonso, and Seattle Sounders FC captured the MLS Cup Saturday night, beating Toronto FC in penalties at BMO Field. 

Seattle battled Toronto to a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes, eventually prevailing 5-4 in penalties. Roman Torres converted the fifth penalty, sealing the victory  and winning the first MLS Cup in the Club’s history. 

Alonso took over captaincy for the title winning side in September, just as the team found its form and started its charge towards the playoffs. During Alonso’s time with the armband, the Sounders lost only twice, putting together a 9-2-1 run over the stretch of games leading up to the Final.

“Watching Ozzie lift the trophy was pretty special,” said Battery Head Coach Michael Anhaeuser who signed Alonso after he defected to the U.S. from Cuba during a national team trip to Houston in 2007. “We always take pride in seeing our players succeed at the next level, but last night was unique. Ozzie has reached some incredible achievements during his career, but lifting the MLS Cup is the ultimate accomplishment in professional soccer in the U.S. All of us in Charleston were cheering him on and we can’t congratulate him enough.” 

Alonso spent the 2008 season with the Battery before moving on to the Sounders. During the ’08 season, Alonso scored seven goals in 31 games and was voted MVP and Newcomer of the Year by Battery fans and USL Rookie of the Year by league coaches and general managers. 

The Cuban has been a mainstay in Seattle’s midfield since joining the Club in its inaugural MLS season in 2009. Alonso has played over 200 games for the Sounders, becoming the first player in franchise history to reach 15,000 career minutes with the Club.

In addition to the newly acquired MLS Cup,  Alonso’s trophy cabinet includes four U.S. Open Cups and an MLS Supporters’ Shield. The midfielder has been named an MLS All-Star three times and made the MLS best XI in 2012. Also highly regarded by his peers, Alonso captured four straight team MVP’s , voted by his teammates, from 2010-2013. 

Alonso and the Sounders will prepare for their first ever title defense in Charleston during the 2017 Carolina Challenge Cup. Seattle will battle Atlanta United, Columbus Crew SC, and the Battery in CCC17 on February 18, 22, and 25.

While the tournament will surely serve its usual purpose as a tune-up for the season to follow, this year’s CCC will feel a little different. It will be a celebration of Alonso and his team. The Battery have hosted MLS champions at CCC in the past, but this time it is one of our own carrying the trophy. 

Charleston Battery midfielder Zach Prince announced his retirement from professional soccer Wednesday afternoon. Prince, 28, spent his entire professional career with the Battery, making 87 starts during his seven seasons with the Club. 

Prince’s 164 appearances have him ranked amongst the all-time leaders at the Charleston Battery. The Irmo native joins Paul Conway, John Wilson, and Dusty Hudock in the select group of players who have made over 100 appearances for the Club. 

In addition to playing, Prince served as Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser’s assistant over the past several seasons, forging a unique bond between the two. 

“Zach has been a tremendous player for the Charleston Battery for the last seven seasons on and off the field,” said Anhaeuser.  “Zach is a true professional who would do anything for his team and Club.  As his coach I am sad to see him go, but I can only wish Zach more success and happiness in his next chapter of his life.”

Although he’s taking a step back from playing, Prince plans to continue to coach at the youth level. 

In lieu of an interview Prince elected to write a letter to all those who have supported him during his career in Charleston: 

Dear Charleston Battery Supporters,

The past seven seasons have been an absolute dream for me. I dreamt of becoming a professional soccer player at a very young age and I am glad I was able to achieve that with this club. Every time I put on my yellow and black jersey, my heart beat a little faster, my mind focused, and my legs got a little more juice. I have all of you to thank for letting a little boy from Irmo, South Carolina achieve his dream. From the casual fan to the die hard members of The Regiment—you have all been so good to me and I genuinely appreciate it. I am now moving on to the next step in my life and will no longer be with the Battery in a professional role, but I will always be there in spirit. I cannot wait to see where this club goes and I only wish the best. Thank you again for all of the support.  

– #24 -Zach Prince

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Clemson and Wake Forest advanced to the 2016 ACC Men’s Soccer Championship Game with wins in semifinal action on Wednesday night. 

Both teams advanced in dramatic fashion. Clemson scored the game winner with 1:30 left in the game, and Wake Forest tallied the golden goal 1:29 into overtime after allowing the equalizer with under a minute remaining in regulation. 

In Clemson, South Carolina, eighth-seeded Boston College and fourth-seeded Clemson remained locked in a scoreless battle for over 88 minutes before Alex Happi scored with 1:30 left on the clock. The senior headed in a free kick  from Aaron Jones for his first goal of the season.

In Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Wake Forest’s Hayden Partain scored his third of the season in the 29th minute to give the Demon Deacons the early lead. Second-seeded Wake Forest held off a pressing No. 3 Louisville attack for most of the second half, before Tum Kubel scored the equalizer with 50 seconds remaining.  Just 1:29 into overtime, Ema Twumasi recorded his fourth of the year to send the Demon Deacons to the championship. 

For Clemson, this will be the seventh trip to the ACC Championship in program history and second in three years. In 2014, the Tigers defeated Louisville, 2-1, in double overtime to win the title. 

This will be the fifth trip to the ACC Championship for Wake Forest and first since 2007. The Demon Deacons will be looking for their first league championship since 1989, when they defeated Duke in the title game. 

In regular season action, Clemson defeated Wake Forest at home, 1-0, on September 30 on a goal by Diego Campos. 

The ACC Championship Game will be played at 2 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 13, at MUSC Health Stadium in Charleston, South Carolina, and will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

General admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased online here or at the gate. Entry is free for kids 18 and under and students from ACC institutions. Gates open at 12:30.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (theACC.com) – For the first time in seven seasons, North Carolina is back in the Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Soccer Championship title game.

Annie Kingman took a pass from Bridgette Andrzejewski and slammed home the tie-breaking goal from 14 yards out with 4:47remaining to lift the fourth-seeded Tar Heels to a 2-1 win over top-seeded Notre Dame in Friday’s opening semifinal match at MUSC Health Stadium.

UNC (13-3-3) moved on to Sunday’s noon championship game, where it will face the winner of Friday night’s second semifinal match between No. 2 seeded Clemson and No. 5 Florida State. The game, which will be televised nationally by ESPU, will mark a return to once-familiar territory for the Tar Heels, who captured 20 of the first 22 ACC Championships and reached the finals every year from 1988 through 2009.

Notre Dame (13-3-4), ranked as high as sixth nationally, remains in good standing for an at-large berth and high seeding in the NCAA Championship when the field is announced Monday at 4:30 p.m.

The Tar Heels, who avenged a 1-0 loss to the Fighting Irish during the regular season, answered a game-tying goal by Notre Dame earlier in the second half to win their fifth consecutive match.

“After they scored, we kind of woke up a little bit,” said Kingman, who notched her fifth goal of the season. “We had kind of let them sneak back into the game and get a few opportunities. We really started pushing hard. We subbed some people in with fresh legs and started getting back after them.”

Andrzejewski, the ACC Freshman of the Year and UNC’s leading scorer, registered her second assist of the year.

“I saw Bridgette moving down the line, and nine times out of 10 she is going to beat her defender,” Kingman said. “So I just tried to get in the box, get in good position and keep the shot low and on frame.”

UNC struck for the first goal of the match with 23:30 remaining in the first half. Following a yellow card on Notre Dame’s Ginny McGowan, Kingman lined a free kick that struck the right post. The ball caromed just in front of the mouth of the goal, and UNC defender Maya Worth alertly charged in to punch in her first goal of the season.

The Tar Heels’ 1-0 edge held up until the halftime break. UNC outshot the Fighting Irish 9-3 in the first 45 minutes and held a 4-0 advantage in shots on goal. But Notre Dame goalkeeper Kaela Little made three saves to keep her team just a score down.

“We had a very poor first half,” Irish head coach Theresa Romagnolo said. “I thought they came out with a lot of good pressure and energy. We did not control the ball at all.  We were defending for most of the first half.”

Notre Dame got on the board with just under 19 minutes remaining in the match, as Kaleigh Olmstead broke into the open field, slipped past UNC keeper Lindsey Harris about 15 yards from the goal, and raced home for an uncontested score to tie the match at 1-1. The goal was Olmstead’s fourth of the season and the first surrendered by the Tar Heels in their last three matches.

But UNC answered less than 15 minutes later to earn a spot in Sunday’s final.

“Of course it was deflating (when Notre Dame scored), but this group of girls has so much fight in them,” Kingman said. “We just scrap and fight for every goal we get. If you look at our goals throughout the season, some of them are pretty, but most of them are just the result of hard efforts. Letting them tie the score was not ideal, but I kind of sensed from the beginning that tonightwas not going to be our last game in this tournament.”

It marked the first time Notre Dame had yielded two goals in a match since battle top-ranked Stanford to a 2-2 tie at Palo Alto onSeptember 11.

“Notre Dame is a tough team to score against, and for us to get two is a real achievement,” UNC head coach Anson Dorrance said. “I’m also happy that after they tied the score, the team continued to grind and got the goal to win the game. This is a team that has really improved dramatically since August. We were the most ordinary of teams in August, and now we’re pretty solid. I’m very proud of our kids and very excited to be in an ACC final.”

CHARLESTON, S.C. (theACC.com) – Florida State scored less than four minutes into Friday night’s Atlantic Coast Conference Women’s Soccer semifinal match against Clemson. The three-time defending champion Seminoles spent the next 86 minutes weaving a defensive masterpiece.

The sixth-seeded Seminoles (13-3-3) kept second-seeded Clemson off the scoreboard en route to a 1-0 victory that earned them a spot in noon Sunday’s championship match against fourth-seeded North Carolina (noon, ESPNU).  The Tigers (13-4-3), who tied with Notre Dame for the top spot in the ACC regular-season standings, will await Monday’s 4:30 p.m. NCAA Championship pairings announcement.

FSU goalkeeper Cassie Miller made three saves, and head coach Mark Krikorian praised his entire unit for its work in recording its 13th shutout of the season. Friday night’s effort came against a Clemson squad that entered the ACC’s leading team in points (7.53 per game) and tied for the conference lead in goals scored (2.37 per contest).

“I thought overall that our kids competed very favorably,” Florida State head coach Mark Krikorian said. “Clemson is a very good team and they have a lot of good players. You have to be prepared for the air game. I thought our back line did a reasonably good job of picking up those first balls, and then on the second balls, I thought we did a good job of picking those up as well.”

It didn’t take long for the the Seminoles to grab the attention of those in attendance at MUSC Health Stadium, as they scored at the 41:08 mark of the opening half to grab the lead. Pinpoint passes by Kaycie Tillman and Malia Berkely set up Megan Connolly, who registered her sixth goal of the season.

“It was big boost,” Krikorian said. “At the end of the day, it proved to be the game winner.  It came off a set piece, and although it doesn’t relax you, it certainly gives you a little more confidence.”

Clemson head coach Eddie Radwanski lamented FSU’s quick strike, but felt his team had several chances to counter throughout the course of the match.

“We made a mistake in the opening minutes of the match, and we have no one to blame but ourselves,” Radwanski said. “You’ve got to manage those moments, and we didn’t manage that one particularly well. Florida State is not a team historically that gives up a lot of goals. They manage the game very well defensively.

As it turned out, it was the only score that FSU needed to record its eighth-straight win in ACC Championship competition and reach the finals for the fifth time in the last six seasons.

“We created a lot of half-chances that might have created some scoring chances,” Radwanski said. “With a little luck, it might have fallen our way. When you get into the second half, you are chasing a little bit and we were trying to be dangerous a little bit and create chances. But credit to Florida State for holding on, and I credit my team for fighting all the way down to the final whistle.”

The Seminoles last reached the finals as a No. 6 seed in 2011, when they captured the first of their four ACC titles under Krikorian’s watch.

“Every time you go out you want to play, you want to compete, you want to give yourself a chance to win,” Krikorian said. “This is the youngest team we’ve had since I’ve been at Florida State. It’s a collection of little kids, but they’re not afraid to go out and battle, and that can serve them well.”

North Carolina and FSU met at Tallahassee in the last game of the regular season on Oct. 27, when the Tar Heels came away with a 1-0 win.

“I thought the quality of the pressure by Carolina in the first half of that first game was excellent,” Krikorian said. “They brought a great deal of energy and they pressed us. At the end of the day (Sunday), we’re going to have to be better with the ball in order to win the game.

“We have to prepare for a battle. They are going to be putting a lot of balls in our penalty box and there’s going to be a lot of competing and fighting and so on. We have to be ready for that.”