Battery Rally for 1-2 Comeback Win in Pittsburgh on Goals by Rubín and Rodríguez
USL Charleston Battery

Battery Rally for 1-2 Comeback Win in Pittsburgh on Goals by Rubín and Rodríguez

Published on August 16, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The Charleston Battery secured a 1-2 comeback victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday at Highmark Stadium in the 46th meeting all-time between the clubs.. After going down 1-0 in the 11th minute, goals from Rubio Rubín right before halftime and Arturo Rodríguez at the start of the second half secured all three points for the Battery. It was a convincing response and bounce-back performance in front of the second-largest crowd in Highmark Stadium history (6,115).

The victory also secured the Old Guard Shield for the Battery, the supporter-led rivalry between Charleston and Pittsburgh.

Charleston entered Saturday looking for their first win at Highmark Stadium since 2018. The Battery recorded the first shot on target of the match in the 10th minute, when Rubio Rubín's attempt from inside the box was saved off the chest of goalkeeper Eric Dick.

Pittsburgh managed to open the scoring in the 11th minute via Danny Griffin to take a 1-0 lead.

The Battery looked to find an equalizer by pushing into Pittsburgh's defensive half, recording nearly triple as many passes in that half (96 to 33) and more than double the amount of passes in the final third (50 to 20) than Pittsburgh had through the 28th minute. However, a blocked bicycle kick attempt by Rubín in the 15th minute was the only shot registered after Griffin's opener.

After knocking on the door heading into the break, Charleston's moment came in the first minute of stoppage time when Rubín headed home the equalizer, making the score 1-1. The play was started by goalkeeper Luis Zamudio's long ball which Pittsburgh were unable to fully clear away. The threat then materialized when Jeremy Kelly gained possession and went over the top to MD Myers in the box. From there, Myers floated a cross to Rubín, who beat everyone to the back post for the header.

The goal was Rubín's second of the season and the assist was Myers' fourth. It was also Charleston's first goal at Highmark Stadium since 2021.

On the other end, Zamudio was called into action to deny Pittsburgh's bid to restore their lead with a reflex save against Augi Williams.

The game went into the break tied 1-1. Charleston dominated possession with 72% retained, but shots and shots on target were even at five and two apiece, respectively.

Play resumed for the second half with the Battery on the front foot. A Kelly through ball threaded the needle almost perfectly into the net, as nobody from Pittsburgh's defense stopped the pass, but it went inches wide of the post.

Charleston continued to apply pressure led by Myers, Rubín and Arturo Rodríguez up top.

The Battery broke the deadlock in the 55th minute when Rodríguez capitalized on the pressure to make the score 1-2. The ball was pinged around by Rubio and Kelly to set up Myers inside the box, but Dick rushed off his line to clear the ball out. However, the ball fell right to Rodríguez for the first-time strike on a relatively open net.

The goal was Rodríguez's fifth of the year.

Zamudio came up big again in the 74th minute to deny Williams from inside the box, swiping away the potential equalizer and then kicking away the rebound that hit the post, neutralizing the threat.

Pittsburgh began to throw more numbers forward in the dying moments of the match in search of a second goal. Bradley Sample came close in the 84th minute to achieving that, but his shot hit the woodwork.

Charleston's defense held firm to withstand the hosts' final advances and secured the 1-2 victory, completing the season sweep against Pittsburgh. It also improved Charleston's all-time record against Pittsburgh to 18W-11L-17D across 46 all-time meetings.

The win was the Battery's first at Highmark Stadium since 2018 and secured Charleston's first Old Guard Shield claim since 2022.

With the result, Charleston's record advances to 14W-4L-2D (44pts), placing them in second place in the Eastern Conference standings.

Aaron Molloy enjoyed a productive day in the middle of the park, leading the game with three chances created and 66 accurate passes, in addition to two duels won, two clearances, and one tackle won.

Leland Archer led the team with eight duels won, along with eight clearances and three recoveries.

Graham Smith had a team-high nine clearances, in addition to one block and three recoveries.

Jeremy Kelly had a strong evening on both sides of the ball and was in the mix of both goals, registering two successful dribbles, four duels won, one chance created and 85% passing accuracy.

Head Coach Ben Pirmann and forward Rubio Rubín addressed the media after the match, with key quotes to follow.

Coach Pirmann on the importance of responding with a bounce-back win...

We wanted to see a response. We started great, we were an inch away from going up 1-0. Then, unfortunately, Danny Griffin, a good player, made some big plays on the knockdowns and the runs into the box, and we found ourselves down 1-0.

We could have shied away. It's one of the toughest places to play, but we went right after it. We had a response, and then we had a response within the response. It was incredible.

I'm just proud of all the boys, all 19 guys who were here put it in for a shift. They did a great job. The staff did a great job. It's a huge win, it's a statement. Pittsburgh had gone nine in a row without a loss. If you look at their form at home over the last two or three years, they just don't lose games.

Coach Pirmann on the team's resilience after the early goal...

I think we just wanted to keep sticking to who we are and what we do. We wanted to move the ball, but we wanted to be a little more thorough and intentional with our vertical movements.

We got behind them, Arturo Rodríguez had that shot, we were playing through balls to MD Myers, and it was just a matter of time before we got one. Pittsburgh had only conceded a couple of goals in recent games, so to push on them like that was very well done by us.

I'm very excited about that. The mentality to have a bad performance in Louisville, come back, shake it off, and say, "Hey, we're playing for each other, we're playing for ourselves, we're playing for this club and this community." Nothing was given to us, and we still got all three points.

Coach Pirmann on his overall assessment of the match...

It's not just to win the game, but to do it convincingly. We moved the ball against them, they couldn't get close to us when we had possession. They had to push at the end, and they hit the crossbar, but overall it was a top performance. I think we really dominated the match start to finish, and did whatever it took to get all three points. Kudos to our guys.

I think it speaks to the character of our players and who they are as human beings. We had a tough weekend, and they responded brilliantly. We went down a goal, they could have put their heads down, but nothing got in our way.

That's who they are as people. I'm very proud of them, not just as players but as people, to fight through that. It's a tough place to play, against a tough opponent, with the best coach in the league's history, in front of a near-record, sellout crowd. The field is like a postage stamp, the ball is bouncing everywhere, and they just kept their heads down and fought. I'm very proud and very happy, most importantly for who they are as people.

Rubín on his goal right before halftime...

I was knocking at the door in the first half and trying to find myself in positions to score. I'm very fortunate with the ball that MD played, an amazing ball back post. I knew that I just needed to beat the defender, and that the ball was going to land there, and thankfully, it fell to my head. Then, all I had to do was push it in. So, it's just about being in those spots.

The goal they scored against us was early, and it hit us a little hard in the moment. We knew it was going to be a long game. But we kept playing hard. We knew it was going to be a tough game, a tough place to play, especially with the turf, it's never easy. All of that changes the way you play sometimes. We just continued to play our style of football, and that goal helped us going into the second half.

Rubín on the importance of the victory for the squad's momentum...

It's huge. The Louisville result was hard on our confidence. We got back to basics this week. We knew we had to play hard, we had to fight in these tough games. To bounce back with a win against a tough opponent, in a tough place to play, is huge for us. We're excited to get back home and finally play in our own stadium. We've got momentum now, we've got confidence, and hopefully we can keep pushing for the Players' Shield.

Road games are tough. They're not easy. To be able to come away with a win, to be on top again, especially after last week with Louisville, it's good to get that feeling of winning on the road.

Rubín on building upon this victory going into next week's home match...

We're excited to get back home and be with our crowd. Coming here was a tough place to play. I think the mentality we have is to play hard; if we play hard and play our style of football like we've been playing, with that chemistry and confidence, I think we're capable of continuing to battle. Hopefully, we'll keep collecting points and take that first position by the end of the year. We just have to play with that fight and play with that confidence.

Charleston's next match will be home vs. Loudoun United FC on Sat., Aug. 23. Tickets for Back to School Night at Patriots Point are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club's exclusive digital ticketing provider.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from August 16, 2025


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