Sports stats



USL Charleston Battery

Battery Rally in Second Half to Earn Point in 2-2 Hartford Draw

July 13, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


HARTFORD, Conn. - The Charleston Battery played Hartford Athletic to a dramatic 2-2 draw on Friday at Trinity Health Stadium. After being dealt a 2-0 deficit at halftime, Charleston clawed back to level the score in the second half thanks to goals from Nathan Dossantos and Nick Markanich. The Battery played up a man for most of the second half after Hartford was issued a red card. The result extends the Battery's current unbeaten run to four matches.

It was a cagey start to the night as neither side saw clear opportunities materialize in the opening stages. Hartford's two shots in the first 10 minutes were both blocked before they could reach goalkeeper Adam Grinwis.

The hosts managed to take a 1-0 lead with a goal from Mamadou Dieng in the 20th minute. Appeals for an offside call were made by several Battery players as Dieng appeared to be in an offside position before the ball ricocheted off his face and into the net, but no call was given.

Charleston looked to fight back for an equalizer but were unable to record more than one shot in the 20 minutes that passed after the opening goal. Hartford doubled their lead in the 43rd minute via Michee Ngalina.

The Battery trailed 2-0 into the break. Charleston's offense was held largely in check with only four shots recorded while possession was evenly split.

Searching for a way back into the game, the Battery began the second half on the front foot. Leland Archer nearly pulled one back with a header that was saved and Arturo Rodriguez, who entered the match as play resumed, sent in a strike that was just tall of the crossbar.

The complexion of the match was altered in the 51st minute when Hartford goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro was shown a red card after two quick yellow cards for dissent, reducing Hartford to 10 men for effectively the entire second half. Goalkeeper Greg Monroe came off the bench and replaced Dieng to give the hosts a man in net.

With a one-man advantage, Charleston began to apply a heavy press on Hartford. Jackson Conway entered the match off the bench to give the Battery an additional attacking threat up top.

After several waves of pressure, the Battery broke through in the 70th minute when Nathan Dossantos scored off a rebounded ball in the box. A scrum was ensuing following a Charleston corner kick to clear out the ball and it ended up at Dossantos, who then sent the ball through traffic and into the net.

The goal was Dossantos' first with the Battery and came at a perfect time to help spur the comeback effort.

Charleston nearly equalized minutes later when Nick Markanich's scissor kick was cleared off the line after looking dangerously close to crossing the whole way. Aaron Molloy's follow-up curler was blocked just before going on target. Molloy almost scored in the 84th minute with a shot to the far post that was saved by Monroe.

Markanich finally leveled the score in the 90th minute with a glancing header to the far post that beat Monroe's efforts. Robbie Crawford whipped in a cross and Markanich placed it perfectly to tie the match.

The goal was Markanich's 16th of the year, and his third consecutive game with a goal, and the assist was Crawford's first.

Charleston pressed for a winning goal in hopes of replicating the comeback victory over North Carolina FC from two weeks ago. Conway recorded the Battery's two shots in stoppage time but neither was able to find the net.

The Battery's comeback effort earned them a point in the 2-2 draw with Hartford. Charleston set a season-high for shots in a single game with 27, including out-shooting Hartford 22 to two.

Charleston's record now stands at 10W-2L-7D (37pts), placing them in second place and one point outside of first.

Additionally, the Battery have won 13 points from losing positions in the league this season, more than any other team.

It was a noteworthy night for Aaron Molloy as he made his 100th USL Championship regular season appearance.

With 16 goals on the year, Markanich is the Championship's Golden Boot leader by a margin of five goals, as of writing.

Head Coach Ben Pirmann and midfielder Aaron Molloy discussed the match after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.

Coach Pirmann on what was difficult about Hartford early on tonight...

When we played them in May, it was a 1-0 game and they hit the post. They've got one of the best-attacking groups in the league. They were aggressive, they got going. We actually settled in and had two very good chances and we didn't do what we went over in the press. You got to give credit to Hartford they earned it.

They outplayed us in the first half. Very disappointing. I thought our performance was reactive and entitled, I thought that after the North Carolina game, we should have learned a few things. And then to rely on a mistake from Hartford to go a man down to get the point isn't quite good enough.

But, our performance in the second half was excellent. We were on top of them and probably deserved the result. We were aggressive, but too reactive, too tentative for things and you can't do that on the road. You can't do that in this league and you definitely can't do it against a well-coached and talented team.

Coach Pirmann on any adjustments made at halftime...

Outside of putting Arturo on for Emilio, who had the yellow card and we didn't want to risk him getting sent off, nothing changed. Our principles stayed the same, the ideology stayed the same. We just played with more courage. That was the message. It was, 'Be men and do what we're told and play together.' I'm not sure why the first half was what it was. It's something I definitely have to reflect on and we've got to make sure it doesn't happen again. I said, 'That's a playoff team and if this were a playoff game, we're knocked out.' The good thing is that we have got 15 more to go. But, I'm proud of the boys for fighting back to earn a draw.

Molloy on the contrast between the first and second half...

Coach said at halftime we didn't show up and we felt that as well. Hartford had a really good first half. They brought their A-game, and we didn't show up until the second half. The second half was a little bit different. We played more of our style our game and the game plan we've had all week. It was nice to get back into the game and come out with a point, but it would have been nice to get all three. It is what it is.

Molloy on his mindset going into Miami at home next week...

First of all, we have to reflect on our mistakes from this week. I'm sure we'll do some film next week leading into Miami, so some of the things in the first half don't show up again. Miami, they are full of talent. I don't think some of the results have reflected how well they play or how good of a team they are. So, we have to be up for it.

Charleston will return home on Fri., July 19 to host Miami FC at Patriots Point. Tickets for the game are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club's exclusive digital ticketing provider.

Lineups:

CHS: Grinwis, Dossantos (Drack, 70'), Smith, Archer, Segbers (Crawford, 83'), Allan (Conway, 58'), Molloy, Torres, Ycaza (Rodriguez, 46'), Markanich, Myers

HFD: Ribeiro, Boudadi, Scarlett, Akpunonu, Samadia, Makangila, Asiedu (Farrell, 75'), Beckford (Epps, 69'), Chapman (Vancaeyezeele, 69'), Dieng (Monroe, 53'), Ngalina

Scoring Summary:

HFD - Mamadou Dieng (Michee Ngalina), 20'

HFD - Michee Ngalina (Anderson Asiedu), 43'

CHS - Nathan Dossantos, 70'

CHS - Nick Markanich (Robbie Crawford), 90'

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

• Discuss this story on the United Soccer League Championship message board...

United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 13, 2024


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central