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Charleston Battery

Battery Draw 0-0 with Rhode Island, Extend Undefeated Run to Five Games

April 6, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


SMITHFIELD, R.I. - The Charleston Battery played Rhode Island FC to a scoreless draw at Beirne Stadium on Saturday. It was the first meeting between Charleston and Rhode Island and neither side could find the back of the net amid the rainy and slick conditions that impacted the whole night. The shutout was goalkeeper Adam Grinwis' third of the season and the result brings the Battery's unbeaten streak to five games to start the year.

MATCH PHOTOS AND HIGHLIGHTS

Charleston and Rhode Island kicked off under stormy skies that made their presence felt throughout the half, as the slick ball on the turf made control come at a premium.

Rhode Island began to find a footing roughly 20 minutes in but were halted when Albert Dikwa was assessed a foul in the box for a collision with goalkeeper Adam Grinwis. The shot-stopper put his body on the line and Dikwa was shown a yellow card.

Juan David Torres shot the Battery's best attempt on frame in the 36th minute, but goalkeeper Jackson Lee managed to make the save.

The teams went into the break tied at 0-0. Shots were split four for each side and Charleston held just under 60% of possession. Rhode Island picked up four yellow cards to the Battery's one.

Play resumed in the second half and the rain was not far behind in making its return to play either. Rhode Island tested Grinwis again in the 56th minute but the shot-stopper made a fine diving save to keep the game at 0-0. On the other end, Torres nearly sent his free-kick past Lee from roughly 40 yards out.

Rhode Island were reduced to 10 men in the 70th minute when Conor McGlynn was shown his second yellow card of the night. McGlynn made a late challenge against Nathan Dossantos after Dossantos cleared the ball away.

With a one-man advantage, Charleston pushed numbers forward in search of a breakthrough goal. Nick Markanich hit a shot off the post in the 72nd minute and Torres had a close shot saved in the 89th minute.

The Battery's final concrete chance was in stoppage time when MD Myers had a well-placed glancing header saved and the rebound was sent back by Aaron Molloy, whose shot was just narrowly tall of the bar.

Charleston and Rhode Island ended the night in a 0-0 draw after roughly 10 minutes of stoppage time.

The draw extends the Battery's undefeated run to five games to start the year, placing their record at 2W-0L-3D (9 pts), good for fourth in the conference standings.

Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis logged his third shutout of the season, tying him for the league lead.

Head Coach Ben Pirmann and goalkeeper Adam Grinwis discussed the match after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.

Coach Pirmann on his analysis of tonight's match...

Tough game. The conditions were less than ideal, but both teams had to deal with them. I thought it was a fair game. I'm not sure if either team necessarily deserved to win. I felt we were dominant in the first half, but they were comfortable enough. And then the second half got away from us. They had a chance off the crossbar, we had a chance off the post. [Their] goalkeeper made a great save at the end, so maybe chances were slightly in our favor.

Five games in, we've got to do a better job of being calmer when the other team is excited and the crowds on us. I wish we would have executed a little bit better in the second half, but it wasn't for lack of trying, it wasn't for a lack of effort. A shutout is good. Getting a point on the road is good. [The squad] gave absolutely everything they could for this team, for this club, for each other, and that's all we can ask for. Now, we have got to improve a little bit. Very quick turnaround to get going for Tuesday.

Coach Pirmann on the quick turnaround to Louisville City FC on Tuesday...

Louisville, clearly the best team in the league right now, they're untouchable. We've got to make sure we're using the positives from tonight, which were the attitude, the effort and then some really good possession moments. We need a little bit of reflection to improve, to create some more chances, but we also know that we have got to be willing to suffer on Tuesday a little bit. Fantastic opponent, well coached, he does a tremendous job. We've got to do everything we can back at home to push for all three points. We'll be excited, we'll go for it [and] we'll give everything we have.

Grinwis on the takeaways from tonight's match...

The conditions were challenging, but we knew going in that it was going to be a bit of a challenging night. Overall, I feel like our team managed it well, especially in the first half trying to take the sting out of the game, manage the conditions, keep the ball on the floor, and play our game. We did a fantastic job limiting opportunities despite the weather.

[Rhode Island] have great players. They play with good intensity to them. With the slick pitch and the conditions, it's harder to challenge and harder to time your challenges. Credit to our guys. We managed our emotions well in a game that could have easily gotten chippy on both sides. Our guys did a good job at keeping their heads in line and doing their best to keep the task at hand and take care of business as best we could.

Grinwis on turning the page to the Louisville match in three days...

We talked about it in the locker room, that result is over and now it's all focused on Tuesday. The priority now is to get some rest, get home, get our bodies back, and get prepared for Louisville. We'll handle this game and look back on it as time goes by, but right now, all focus is on Louisville.

The Battery return to Patriots Point on Tuesday to host Louisville City FC on April 9. The match will air on CBS Sports Network, the first of four nationally broadcast games for Charleston. Tickets for the game are limited but still on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club's exclusive digital ticketing provider.

Lineups:

CHS: Grinwis, Dossantos, Smith, Palma (Archer, 76'), Torres, Ycaza (Allan, 63'), Molloy, Segbers, Markanich, Myers, Gutierrez (LaCava, 63')

RI: Lee, Nodarse, Alves, Holstad, Turnbull, Ybarra, Brito, McGlynn, Kwizera (Smith, 76'), Dikwa (Doyle, 90' +3'), Fuson (Twumasi, 75')

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