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USL Charleston Battery

Battery to Scrimmage Bantams in Columbia as Weekend Tune-Up

July 12, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


Charleston Battery Goalkeeper Robert Beebe
Charleston Battery Goalkeeper Robert Beebe
(Charleston Battery)

CHARLESTON -- Fresh off a morale-boosting trip to Pennsylvania last week, Charleston Battery Coach Mike Anhaeuser will take his team on the road again Monday in preparation for the biggest weekend of soccer at Blackbaud Stadium this season.

The Battery will play the SC United Bantams of PDL in a friendly scrimmage at USC's Stone Stadum in Columbia Monday night at 7 p.m. So begins a week that concludes at home with an international exhibition with West Bromwich Albion of the English Premier League on Friday night, followed by a crucial Southern Derby Cup match with USL rivals Wilmington Hammerheads on Saturday. Both weekend matches kick off at 7:30 p.m.

Charleston's annual scrimmage with the Bantams benefits both clubs, Anhaeuser said.

"We've had a couple days off, so a I want to see where they are," said Anhaeuser, whose team is second in the USL East. "We had a nice (4-0 win over Harrisburg) win on the road, and I think everyone's feeling pretty good. Even Jarad (van Schaik, the team captain) went along on the bus, even though he couldn't play (because of a one-game suspension), so that was nice for the team. And I know everybody is excited about Friday's match (with West Bromwich Albion of the English Premier League)."

Odsinel Cooper

Anhaeuser anticipates Monday's travel squad will be a mixture of players from the Battery's professional roster and the SC United Battery Academy.

"It will probably be some guys who maybe aren't getting a lot of minutes, but then also maybe some guys who are coming back," he said. "Jarad needs minutes, because he hasn't played, and this could be a chance for him to get himself ready for Friday. (Goalkeeper Odisenel) Cooper is coming back, and he could get 90 minutes just to see how he feels. But we'll see."

Cooper, who is 6-0-4 as starter this season, has missed the last four starts for the Battery with a bruised shoulder.

Charleston scrimmages the Bantams every summer. It's often a good opportunity for the professional club to sharpen up in-season (returning 2014 mid-season acquisition Jose Cuevas made his first appearance in Battery stripes last season during the team's Bantam scrimmage), but just as importantly it's a chance to fly the Battery flag and colors in another part of the state.

Jarad van Schaik and Austin Savage: Each could figure in the Battery's plans for Monday night.

Playing the Bantams also helps strengthen a player-development system that the Battery has emphasized as one of its most important long-term goals. The academy here -- led by former Battery player Clark Brisson -- continues to produce much of South Carolina's top youth talent, and many of its graduates go on to play for the Bantams during or after their college careers. When the Battery winds up on the receiving end of that pipeline -- as it did with local academy product Austin Savage -- the club benefits.

Savage, who also played for Stratford High School, made the 2013 Battery roster after finishing his NCAA career at Clemson. He played briefly for the Bantams in 2014 during an injury-shortened season that saw him train with the Battery in the spring but lose his spot to players on loan from Vancouver Whitecaps. He earned his way back on the professional squad with a great 2015 preseason.

Goalkeeper Robert Beebe, a 6-4 academy prospect from Summerville who spent four years at USC, signed an amateur contract with the Battery in preseason. Though he has yet to appear in a USL match, he has continued to train with the Battery despite being on loan to the Bantams during the PDL season.

"He's doing well, from what I hear," Anhaeuser said of his rookie goalkeeper. "He's been splitting time, but I just watched him on tape in his last game, and he did fantastic. He's had success in the net in the games they've won."

Rex Epps looks for an opening in a 2013 match with IMG Academy. Dan Conover/CHSSoccer.net photo.

Another Bantam the Battery will likely keep on their radar Monday is Rex Epps, Epps, a native of Irmo, broke the Battery Academy record for goals earlier this year, and has committed to play collegiate soccer for West Point Military Academy.

The Bantams are currently at the bottom of the PDL's South Atlantic Division, but the program is on the rise. The Bantams -- who take their name and colors from English club Bradford City -- used to split time between Greenwood and other cities. This year's team has settled in at WC Hawkins Stadium on the campus of Irmo High School (Battery midfielder Zach Prince's alma mater). The club has talked about looking for a permanent home in or around Columbia.

"I think (having a permanent home) is important," Anhaeuser said. "It makes it easier to market the team. People get used to looking for them in one place."

The Battery will face West Brom at 7:30 p.m. on Friday at Blackbaud Stadium, with remaining seats available for as little as $25. Tickets to the Battery's Saturday night USL/Southern Derby Cup showdown with rivals Wilmington Hammerheads start at $10. Buy your West Brom seats here, buy your Wilmington seats here, or call 843.971.GOAL to purchase your tickets over the phone.

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Charleston Battery Goalkeeper Robert Beebe
Charleston Battery Goalkeeper Robert Beebe
   



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 12, 2015


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