Sports stats



USL Charleston Battery

Battery Win 1-2 over Loudoun in Morning Match, Dossantos and Markanich Score

July 24, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


LEESBURG, Va. - The Charleston Battery triumphed 1-2 on the road over Loudoun United FC on Wednesday at Segra Field. Charleston struck twice in the first half through Nathan Dossantos and Nick Markanich, with Markanich's proving to make the difference after a late goal by the hosts. The Battery ascend to the top of the Eastern Conference standings with the victory and are currently six games unbeaten.

Wednesday's match was an early one as it was part of Loudoun's Camp Day, which included various initiatives for youth soccer players in the Leesburg area.

Charleston started the morning on the front foot, undeterred by a Loudoun side who came into Wednesday undefeated in their last eight league matches.

Nathan Dossantos broke the deadlock in the 11th minute with a glancing header of Aaron Molloy's corner kick. Dossantos played the ball perfectly to the near post, uncontested, for his second goal in three games. The assist was Molloy's second of the year.

The Battery continued to apply heavy pressure and dictated much of the match in Loudoun's defensive half of the pitch.

Nick Markanich was Johnny-on-the-spot to double the Battery's lead in the 25th minute. Loudoun's Keegan Hughes sent an inaccurate pass that ended up right at Markanich at the edge of the box. With a copious amount of space in a dangerous area, Markanich worked toward the goal and buried his shot inside the near post.

The goal was Markanich's 19th of the year and doubled Charleston's lead before noon, his fifth straight game with a goal. It was also the Battery's 19th first-half goal across 21 regular season games, the most in the league.

Charleston took a commanding 0-2 lead into the break and held Loudoun without a shot on target in the first half.

The Battery picked up where they left off and nearly added another goal in the opening moments of the second half.

Charleston's pressure led to a series of nervy passes between Loudoun players inside their own box and MD Myers intercepted the ball at the top of the box. He then played it to Molloy, but the Irish midfielder's close-range shot was saved in the 53rd minute.

Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis faced his first real test of the match in the 66th minute and made a specular diving save to deny Zach Ryan. On the other end, Myers came close to adding to Charleston's lead in the 76th minute but his shot hit off the woodwork.

The hosts managed to pull a goal back in the 79th minute with a free kick from Ryan. It was a contentious situation that led to the free kick as Molloy picked up a yellow card for a foul despite receiving a kick in the back of the leg from Christiano Francios' shot attempt.

Charleston withstood Loudoun's last-gasp push for an equalizer to see out the victory. This included a chaotic situation inside the Charleston box in the final moments of stoppage time, when Loudoun had numerous looks to score again but failed to convert.

The Battery secured the 1-2 victory over Loudoun, their first at Segra Field since 2021 while also snapping the hosts' eight-game undefeated streak.

The win sends Charleston to the top of the Eastern Conference table, as of writing, and advances their record to 12W-2L-7D (43pts).

With 19 goals to his name, Markanich moves into sole possession of fifth place for the most goals in a single season (all competitions) in Battery history. He inches closer to the club's all-time single-season record of 27 by Paul Conway in 2001 and the USL Championship single-season record of 25 goals.

Head Coach Ben Pirmann and defender Nathan Dossantos discussed the match after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.

Coach Pirmann on his assessment of the match...

Credit to our boys. They were dominant for about 65 to 70 minutes in almost every phase. The only disappointing thing in those first 70 minutes or so, was that we didn't finish a third chance and we hit the post. Loudoun's goalkeeper made two or three nice saves, and when you do that, the other team has a good player and puts it in the top corner and then you're just hanging on for the last 10 to 15 minutes.

The conditions were as loud and as difficult as you can get. We're playing against an opponent who's eight-in-a-row unbeaten, who are very well coached with lots of talent. I think they're top five in the power rankings. So, I was very, very proud of our boys. We moved the ball well to go around them, and create loads of chances. We were also able to use our press in moments to create a goal to make it 0-2, and had two or three more in the second half from the high press. But what happened was that those pressing moments really suck the energy out in the end. It was really hot and a mid-day game, it was tough.

The character to hang on and get all three points against a good opponent is top and I'm really proud for the boys to push like that.

Coach Pirmann on turning the page to the Tampa Bay match in three days...

When you step back and look at it from a 50,000-foot view, you're playing at Loudoun on a Wednesday on turf in the heat. Then, you're playing at Tampa Bay, who are one of the top two or three best teams in the league in one of the toughest places in the entire division to play at. For me, this week in general is very difficult. A lot of teams are going to walk out of there with zero points or not much to show for it. Step one is done. It's all about mental, psychological and physical recovery now. We have to rest and make sure we recharge as much as possible. We'll use our resources, get after it, go on a business trip to Florida and look to get all three points against a top team.

Dossantos on his opening goal...

Set pieces are something that we have got to improve on and we've been trying to improve on. First and foremost, the service from Molloy was great. Dragging to that front post to try and create space for the guys in the back, I just happened to be fortunate that the ball was where I needed it to be. I was able to make a good connection before the defender came across it. That was definitely what we were looking for to start the game.

Dossantos on the impact of the early start time...

It was super unusual because playing this league you almost never kick off this early. We were playing a really good opponent who's been a good run, they've gone eight games unbeaten, so we knew it was going to be a difficult game.

With the traveling and early kickoff, it only makes it more challenging. It is the most unusual game you will play, because it changes your routine and how you approach the game. You don't have a whole day to prepare, you're waking up and basically eating and then going to the stadium. We had to be locked in with our preparation and make sure we came out with the right attitude. Credit to the boys for being as professional as possible, and coming here and getting a result.

Charleston's busy week continues with a road match this Saturday against the Tampa Bay Rowdies to close out Week 21. The Battery return home on Fri., Aug. 2, to host Indy Eleven at Patriots Point for 93 Night. Tickets for the game are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club's exclusive digital ticketing provider.

Lineups: CHS: Grinwis, Dossantos, Smith, Archer, Segbers, Allan, Molloy, Ycaza (Rodriguez, 69'), Torres (Crawford, 69'), Markanich (Saydee, 78'), Myers (Conway, 78')

LDN: Fauroux, Erlandson (Dambrot, 90 +2'), Leerman, Hughes (Johnston, 45'), Tingey, Skundrich (Aboukoura, 45'), McCabe (ElMedkhar, 80'), Awuah, Leggett (Francois, 62'), Ryan (Williamson, 80'), Valot

Scoring Summary:

CHS - Nathan Dossantos (Aaron Molloy), 11'

CHS - Nick Markanich, 25'

LDN - Zach Ryan, 79'

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics

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

United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 24, 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