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USL Charleston Battery

Battery Travels to North Carolina FC in Search of Fifth Straight Win

August 2, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The Charleston Battery (10-3-8) travels to Cary, North Carolina for the second time this season to take on North Carolina FC (7-8-5) Saturday night at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Battery will be looking to extend its win streak to a season-high five games.

The two sides spit the points in the first of three meetings on July 7 in Cary. After a back-and-forth first half, the Battery opened the scoring in the 63rd minute through league-leading goal scorer Ataulla Guerra. Guerra's tally was cancelled out by an 81st minute Daniel Rios equalizer. Rios trails Guerra by one goal in the USL Golden Boot race with one fewer game played.

The 1-1 draw with North Carolina is part of the Battery's eight game unbeaten streak. Charleston has picked up 18 of a possible 24 points during the almost two month undefeated stretch. The match in Cary capped off a difficult run for the Battery where they dropped points from winning positions three times in six games.

The Battery has won all four if its games since the draw with NCFC and has gotten help from several players to do it. Gordon Wild and Nico Rittmeyer each picked up a pair of goals, while Neveal Hackshaw scored his first of the season to secure victory over defending USL Champions Louisville City FC on June 14. Guerra has continued his scoring form, notching three goals in his last four games.

In addition to the attack clicking, the Battery have continued their strong defensive play, earning back-to-back clean sheets and conceding just four goals in the eight game unbeaten run. Joe Kuzminsky has played all but one of those eight games and is currently in second place in the race for the USL Golden Glove. Kuzminsky also sits one clean sheet behind a trio of Eastern Conference goalkeepers for the league lead.

North Carolina FC's goalkeeper Alex Tambakis has been forced into 63 saves in 20 starts this season, compared to Kuzminsky's 36 saves in 15 appearances. NCFC have not kept a clean sheet since May 25 against Atlanta United 2, so the in-form Battery attackers will be looking to add to their season totals.

At the other end of the field, the Battery back three will have to deal with Rios, who has found the back of the net twice in the three games since his side's 1-1 draw with the Battery on July 7. Rios scored the opening goal in NCFC's impressive 2-1 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds last Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park.

With the race for a top four finish in the Eastern Conference as tight as it is, the Battery will be looking to earn a fifth straight win Saturday night to keep pace. Meanwhile, North Carolina will be looking to take all three points in hopes of climbing into the top eight and solidifying their place in the race for a playoff spot.

Following Saturday's trip to Cary, the Battery will remain on the road to take on the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The midweek match against the Rowdies is scheduled for 7:30 PM on Wednesday, August 8. The Battery and NCFC will meet for the third and final time in the regular season on September 26 at MUSC Health Stadium.

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