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USL Charleston Battery

Battery to Face Tulsa for Second Time in 2022

June 24, 2022 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Charleston Battery head to Oklahoma this weekend to take on FC Tulsa on Saturday, June 25. Kickoff at ONEOK Field is set for 8:30 p.m. ET.

Charleston and Tulsa square off for the second time this season after the Battery bested Tulsa on opening night in a 1-0 victory at Patriots Point. Augustine Williams scored his first goal with the Black and Yellow early in the game and it proved to be the match-winner after Charleston's defense solidified the shutout. That fixture was the first between the two clubs, so Saturday will be Charleston's first visit to Tulsa.

Saturday will mark Tulsa's second match under Donovan Ricketts' leadership as interim head coach after the club announced that longtime manager Michael Nsien was relieved of his duties on June 17. Tulsa fell 2-0 on the road to Memphis 901 FC on Wednesday in their first match with Ricketts on the touchline. Memphis found the back of the net in the 14th minute but the 1-0 scoreline held through much of the contest. The hosts put the game away in the 84th minute when Derek Dodson scored on a counterattack. Tulsa will seek redemption in their return home.

The Battery will aim to continue the momentum of strong results recently when they arrive in Oklahoma.

Charleston drew against Tampa Bay 1-1 on the road, with Williams scoring the equalizer in the second half to steal a point from the Rowdies. Tampa Bay were held in check for most of the evening as the defense held their ground well against the potent Rowdies attack. Preston Kilwien embodied the tenacity of the back line with a sliding block in the final minutes of stoppage time to deny Jake LaCava a chance for the match-winner. LaCava was deep inside the box and his shot would've been on target if not for Kilwien's intervention.

Defender Matt Sheldon will return to his old stomping grounds for the first time since joining Charleston this past offseason. Sheldon played three seasons for Tulsa and was an integral part of the formidable teams of those years.

Midfielder Dominic Oduro is knocking on the door of his 100th career regular-season USL Championship appearance heading into Saturday. The Ghanaian currently has 99 matches to his name, 13 of which have come with the Battery.

Tulsa will be without talented El Salvador international Joaquin Rivas, who was another longtime member of the club that departed this week after he was transferred out to Miami FC. On the opposite end, Tulsa acquired Sean McFarlane on loan from Miami for the remainder of the 2022 season.

When the Battery step up to the plate at ONEOK Field, they will be doing so in a baseball stadium adapted to host soccer matches. FC Tulsa share the ONEOK with the Tulsa Drillers, the AA affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Ones to Watch

Tulsa - JJ Williams

Williams has been a bright spot for Tulsa this season and is the team's co-leader in goals (five), assists (two), and chances created (13). He is the sole leader in shots on target with 13. Given Williams plays a heavy hand in Tulsa's offense and with the departure of Rivas, the Oklahoma club will rely heavily upon him to drive the side forward - alongside stalwarts Rodrigo da Costa and Dario Saurez. Look for JJ to have a heightened role on Saturday when the club returns home for the new coach's ONEOK Field debut.

Charleston - Hugo Fauroux

Fauroux appears to have settled in with the Battery lately and has totaled five league matches so far this season. The shot-stopper recorded his first clean of the year on June 11 against Pittsburgh and has a 72% save success rate in 2022. Against Tampa Bay, he tallied four saves - one of which earning a nomination for the USL Championship Save of the Week - in a commanding performance against one of the top offenses in the Eastern Conference. Hugo will look to continue that strong form as the Battery also look for their first road victory of the year.

From the Training Ground

The Battery returned to training on Tuesday following a period of travel and recovery after the Tampa Bay match.

Head Coach Conor Casey is preparing his team for the first reverse fixture of the year when the Battery take on Tulsa at ONEOK Field.

"We won the first game of the season here, which was a nice start for us, but Tulsa have had some changes since," said Coach Casey. "A lot of similarities, in terms of their formation [against Memphis], but a little bit different in how they've approached their pressing. They also tweaked a couple of different things in their last game that we've had a look at."

While the Battery gear up for three matches in seven days, Coach Casey said the team's full focus on Tulsa.

"Three games in a week with two away trips, it's a challenge, physically, for the players, but we're taking it one game at a time," said Coach Casey. "We're at a point in the season now where we need to get everything we can out of this Tulsa game, so the focus has been 100% in preparation for this Saturday."

Goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux echoed this sentiment and said the team is eager to collect the important three points at stake.

"This weekend is very important," said Hugo Fauroux. "We had two good performances, against Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay, so we've worked really hard these past two weeks and we're going to Tulsa for the three points."

On the recent defensive performances, Fauroux credited the chemistry built within the squad.

"We know each other more, a lot of guys were new, AJ came back from injury, there's been a lot of communication that helps with positioning and everything," said Fauroux. "And it's not just about the two weeks, we've been working hard for the past three months now."

As of posting, Brett St. Martin, Joe Kuzminsky, Tristan Weber, Patrick Hogan, Kyle Holcomb and Matteo Ritaccio are out.

MATCH INFO

FC Tulsa vs. Charleston Battery

Saturday, June 25 - 8:30 p.m. ET Kickoff

ONEOK Field

HOW TO WATCH:

All Battery matches will stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league's YouTube channel for free internationally.

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 24, 2022


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