USL Charleston Battery

Battery Rolls to 4-0 Harrisburg Win Behind Dane Kelly's Two Goals

July 8, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


Battery Rolls to 4-0 Harrisburg Win Behind Dane Kelly's Two Goals
Battery Rolls to 4-0 Harrisburg Win Behind Dane Kelly's Two Goals
(Charleston Battery, Credit: Harrisburg City Islanders)

HARRISBURG, PA -- Forward Dane Kelly converted two Ricky Garbanzo assists in the first 16 minutes at Skyline Sports Complex Wednesday as the Charleston Battery rolled to a 4-0 statement against a short-handed and frustrated Harrisburg City Islanders squad.

With the win, Charleston (8-2-7, 31 points, second place in the USL Eastern Conference) kept pace with first-place Rochester Rhinos, who beat FC Montreal 2-1 in other USL action Wednesday. It also marked a rare season-series sweep of Harrisburg, with the Battery going 3-0-0 on an aggregate score of 10-1.

With team captain Jarad van Schaik serving a one-game suspension for yellow-card accumulation and Sebastien Thuriere away with Haiti in the CONCACAF Gold Cup, Coach Mike Anhaeuser entered this match low on central midfielders. His solution: Pinch outside midfielder Zach Prince in beside central mid Justin Portillo in a 4-4-1-1 and put returning fullback Quinton Griffith out on the right side of the midfield.

The new lineup paid dividends almost instantly when Griffith played a ball ahead to Garbanzo in the second minute. The rookie forward from Coastal Carolina got around his mark and sent a square pass to Kelly lurking level with Harrisburg center back Shane Johnson at the back post. Instead of leading him, Garbanzo played Kelly to the trailing foot. He stopped, Johnson didn't, and the finish at the left post was relatively simple.

It was the second time in two matches with Harrisburg that Kelly has scored in the second minute. And 14 minutes later, the Griffith-to-Garbanzo-to-Kelly combo did almost the exact thing again for the 2-0 lead. The goal was Kelly's 8th in USL play this season -- with five coming in three games against the City Islanders.

Coach Bill Becher's Islanders tried to make a game of it over the next 20 minutes, with Philadelphia Union strikers Antoine Hoppenot and Jimmy McLaughlin carrying the majority of the freight. But the Harrisburg attack too often looked like a series of individual efforts, easily dealt with by the Battery back line and goalkeeper Kevin Corby. Corby made his fourth consecutive start Wednesday in relief of the injured but available Odisnel Cooper.

Things really fell apart for the Islanders in the 36th minute, when Garbanzo beat center back Dante Leverock down the left side. Leverock shoved him down, drawing a yellow and setting up a free kick from near the corner flag for Portillo. The second-year midfielder dropped it over the the near-post wall, where team captain Taylor Mueller made contact and scuffed an assist back to center-back partner Shawn Ferguson, who put the ball away for the 3-0 lead. It was Ferguson's first goal since Week 1.

The Islanders would create their best chance of the night a few minutes later when defender Ken Tribbett headed Enric Valles' deft corner kick sharply on frame, where it was cleared off the line by either fullback Emmanuel Adjetey or Corby, who were manning the near post shoulder-to-shoulder.

The half ended with Garbanzo -- who spent much of the night in one tangle or another -- going down under contact with Harrisburg rookie Jason Plumhoff near the midstripe at the left touchline. Garbanzo took a yellow, but the referee sent Plumhoff off with a straight red.

Down a man in the second half, the City Islanders made several changes and did a fair job of possessing the ball. Charleston made only one personnel change at half -- subbing on winger Navion Boyd for Griffith, who is still getting his legs back after surgery -- but dropped into a more defensive posture, typically keeping nine men behind the ball.

Coach Anaheuser used his full compliment of substitutes to close out the match, but each player that entered seemed focused on getting Kelly his first hat trick of 2015. He came close on two occasions, but what he couldn't do for himself, he did for Boyd. At the top of the 63rd minute, Kelly's pass to Boyd set up his fellow Jamaican for his first USL goal of 2015. With the tally, Boyd became the 12th Battery player to score in USL this season.

As the second half wore down, frustration set in on both sides. Battery fullback Obi Woodbine picked up a yellow card that will cost him a one-game suspension against Wilmington on July 18th. In the final minutes, the two teams seemed to back off each other. It wasn't exactly a truce, but the match ended with no further damage.

The shutout was the second in a row for Charleston, which has allowed only a penalty kick in its last three matches, all of them with Corby in goal. The rookie from Missouri got credit for five saves, improving his team-best goals-against and save-percentage stats.

Charleston plays at home against West Bromwich Albion of the English Premier League in its next match on Friday, July 17. Twenty-four hours later the Battery will kick off a key Southern Derby and USL contest with coastal rivals Wilmington Hammerheads at Blackbaud Stadium on Saturday, July 18. Both matches begin at 7:30. Tickets are available at charlestonbattery.com or over the phone at 843.971.GOAL (4625).

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Battery Rolls to 4-0 Harrisburg Win Behind Dane Kelly's Two Goals
Battery Rolls to 4-0 Harrisburg Win Behind Dane Kelly's Two Goals
(Harrisburg City Islanders)		   



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