Battery Draw Pittsburgh in USL Cup, Earn Bonus Point in Penalty Shootout Win to Stay Atop Group 6
USL Charleston Battery

Battery Draw Pittsburgh in USL Cup, Earn Bonus Point in Penalty Shootout Win to Stay Atop Group 6

Published on June 6, 2026 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The Charleston Battery played Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to a 0-0 draw, winning 4-2 in the penalty shootout, in Round 3 of the Prinx Tires USL Cup Group Stage at Patriots Point on Saturday. Charleston claimed the additional bonus point following conversions by Sean Suber, Miguel Berry, Kirill Pakhomov and Joey Akpunonu, keeping them atop the Group 6 standings. The result also preserves the Battery's undefeated streak at home in 2026.

The Round 3 cup tie kicked off amid picture-perfect early summer conditions at Patriots Point, and both sides had plenty at stake in the penultimate Group Stage match before the knockout stages.

Emilio Ycaza had a close look in the 11th minute with a half-volley from inside the box that rattled off the near post.

Charleston were forced into an early change when Langston Blackstock was unable to carry on and was replaced by Wilmer Cabrera.

On the other end, goalkeeper John Berner came up with a big save in the 28th minute to deny Eliot Goldthorp and keep the game scoreless.

The match went into the interval tied and scoreless. Charleston held the majority of possession at roughly 63%, and shots narrowly favored Pittsburgh by a margin of five to four.

Action picked back up in the second half with all still to play for.

Charleston nearly broke through in the 48th minute when Cabrera attempted to capitalize on a mistake by goalkeeper Mike Sheridan with an opportunistic shot inside the box, but the strike was blocked off the line.

The complexion of the game altered in the 81st minute when Pittsburgh were reduced to 10 men after Lasse Kelp was shown his second yellow card of the night, and subsequent red card and dismissal.

Up a man, the Battery turned up the pressure in search of a winner before the final whistle.

Charleston were unable to find a match-winner despite the one-man advantage and the match officially ended as a 0-0 draw, with a point awarded to both sides. By rule, the game went straight into penalties to decide the winner of an additional bonus point.

Pittsburgh went first in the shootout and both sides were two for their first two, Robbie Mertz and Jackson Walti converting for the Hounds, and Sean Suber and Miguel Berry converting for the Battery.

Berner had a clutch save in the third round of the shootout on Jorge Garcia's spot attempt, and Charleston took the lead with Kirill Pakhomov's conversion.

The fourth round proved to be the decisive one, as Aldair Flowers missed wide for Pittsburgh, and Joey Akpunonu sealed the shootout win with an authoritative conversion from the spot.

With the bonus point secured, Charleston moved to 8pts atop Group 6, but will have to wait until June 24 for the rest of the group to play their third Group Stage matches to know where they stand going into the final round.

Saturday's result also moved the Battery's record to 19W-11L-18D against Pittsburgh across 48 meetings since 1999.

Goalkeeper John Berner recorded one save in regulation and notched his second shutout of the year, with both coming in USL Cup play.

Charleston hit the road for their next match, midweek against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on June 10. The Battery's next home game will be on Sat., June 13, against FC Tulsa, which will feature a post-match fireworks show. Tickets for the match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club's exclusive digital ticketing provider.

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 6, 2026


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