USL-1 Charleston Battery

Charleston Battery Still On Top After 1-0 Defeat Of The Seattle Sounders

July 5, 2008 - USL First Division (USL-1)
Charleston Battery News Release


Charleston, SC. The Charleston Battery stretched its lead at the top of the USL First Division by edging league champion Seattle Sounders, 1-0, in front of 3,371 at Blackbaud Stadium Saturday. Lazo Alavanja's 10th minute strike proved the difference, and the free-flowing attack-at-will hosts may feel they could have added more goals. But with the season's biggest game just around the corner-a US Open Cup fixture with MLS team FC Dallas on Tuesday-the Battery's confident play pleased head coach Mike Anhaeuser.

"Getting a win tonight is a big thing-it gets your confidence going", Anhaeuser said. "We're getting goals all over the field, and our defense got a shutout tonight. We're going to need all that again Tuesday."

In the hot and humid Charleston weather, the host Battery enjoyed some early possession-perhaps taking advantage of a lethargic Sounders team who were just two days removed from a 2-2 tie with the Carolina RailHawks.

"We really wanted to push the tempo and take it to them," Anaeuser said. "Seattle is a team that likes to press, even after playing three games in six days. But our guys defended well, created chances and really played a complete game. We really never gave them a chance."

Within minutes of the opening kickoff, the Battery were threatening. Seattle had barely had a touch before Ian Fuller sent a dangerous ball forward to Randi Patterson on the edge of the six-yard box, but the league's top scorer couldn't make the connection.

The Sounders responded immediately with their best chance of the half when defender Zach Scott nodded in a corner kick that beat Battery 'keeper Dusty Hudock, but not the base of the far post.

Though the hosts dominated play on both flanks, the opening goal came from seemingly nowhere. Forward Alavanja picked up the ball in the midfield 30-plus yards out, giving him plenty of time to fire a straight-as-an-arrow shot to the top-left corner of the goal.

The goal injected confidence in the Battery's attack, opening it up enough to see them fire 10 first-half shots on goal to Seattle's two. Patterson came close at least twice more, forcing one save and shanking another over the bar from close range.

It was more of the same for the Battery as the second half got underway. In the 50th minute Darren Spicer turned his defender on the right flank, before sending in a pacey cross to Patterson in the middle. Patterson was able to get his head on the ball, but he glanced his effort wide.

Five minutes later the hosts thought they'd doubled the score when Patterson turned in a clever attacking move involving four Battery players, but the score was called back for offside.

That move was again started by Spicer, who once more turned provider when he fed Mike Richardson with a perfectly weighted pass. Richardson then fired a rocket from 15 yards out that careened off the crossbar and out of play.

Seattle had scant scoring opportunities while the Battery defended tenaciously. Visiting forward Sebastien Le Toux-who is the league's top scorer along with the Battery's Patterson-did manage to latch on a long kick from his own 'keeper, but the host defense did well to mop up the danger.

Seattle forced a last-minute attacking flurry in stoppage time, but the Battery held on to stay atop of the USL First Division.

NEXT UP: Charleston Battery at FC Dallas (MLS), US Open Cup Quarterfinal. Tues., July 8. Kickoff at 8:30 PM. REAL 1340 AM / 8:15 pm.

NEXT LEAGUE FIXTURE: v Puerto Rico Islanders, Sat., July 12. Kickoff at 7:30 PM, gates open at 6:30 PM.

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USL First Division Stories from July 5, 2008


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