City Stars Fall 2-0 to Undefeated Charleston Battery
Published on May 30, 2009 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Cleveland City Stars News Release
CHARLESTON, South Carolina - The Cleveland City Stars fought hard through their second game of the weekend road trip as they fell 2-0 to the Charleston Battery. The City Stars took on the Carolina Railhawks Friday evening before traveling to Charleston to play the Battery tonight.
The game began as a give and take between the two squads, with neither team gaining ground. Despite a few scrappy chances, there were no clean-cut opportunities for Charleston as rookie goalkeeper Evan Bush commanded the box expertly in his first professional start, intercepting numerous Battery crosses. The City Stars found themselves in the Battery's half of the field in the 34th minute, when Pato Aguilera took a free kick into the box, which was easily cleared by Charleston defenders. City Stars defense held solid, and Battery forward John Wilson was forced to shoot wildly from outside the box in the 36th minute, sending the shot soaring over the goal.
Unfortunately, the City Stars defensive luck ran out just two minutes later, and in the 38th minute, Kenji Treschuk's long throw-in found Ian Fuller, who flicked it on to Chris Williams for an easy shot to put the Battery in the lead. The pace of the game shifted then, and the City Stars found themselves penned into their box, fending off numerous attempts, including a 41st minute shot on goal from Darren Spicer that sent Evan Bush into a spectacular diving save. Bush and the City Stars were given another scare in the 42nd minute, when a powerful shot rebounded off the crossbar and was headed into the goal before immediately being called offside by the linesman.
The first half wound down with Anthony Stovall receiving a yellow card for an ambitious tackle that failed to win the ball, as the City Stars struggled to regain their footing and attack the Battery's goal. Despite Stovall's valiant effort, the City Stars were unable to put together any solid chances.
Despite a 52nd minute substitution that brought in the fresh legs of Arsene Oka for Leo Gibson, the City Stars were unable to gather any momentum at the beginning of the second half. Troy Roberts played tight defense for Cleveland and cleared a dangerous ball from the City Stars box to fend off the aggressive Battery offense. The pace began picking up for the City Stars in the 59th minute when Godfrey Tenoff ripped a shot from outside the Charleston box, which unfortunately lofted harmlessly above the crossbar. A later City Stars counterattack was halted when Charleston's Randi Patterson stole the ball from Pato Aguilera to take a shot on Cleveland's goal, which was comfortably saved by Evan Bush.
Substitute Kolby LaCrone brought more energy onto the field when he came on in the 65th minute, but his brilliant ball into the Charleston box failed to reach Arsene Oka when Battery defenders stepped in to authoritatively clear it. The City Stars missed another opportunity in the 69th minute, when Charleston forward Ian Fuller earned a yellow card after bringing down Anthony Stovall as he sped towards the Battery goal. The free kick failed to culminate in any concrete opportunities for the City Stars.
The Battery found the back of the net for a second time in the 77th minute, when midfielder Kenji Treschuk took an uncontested shot from 35 yards out. With no pressure on him, the shot went straight up the middle and skipped into the corner of the City Stars goal.
The onslaught on the Cleveland goal continued in the 88th minute when Randi Patterson connected across the box with Yeniel Bermudez who sent a side volley just wide of the City Stars goal. The City Stars rallied with the best chance of the game, but Godfrey Tenoff sent the ball over the crossbar from approximately 7 yards out. "It wasn't the result we wanted, but it was nice for me to get a start and be able to help the team out in the back end" said rookie goalkeeper Evan Bush. "We could've been sharper but it happens, as it's tough playing back-to-back games in a 24 hour period. They had some fresher legs that helped them out, and I think it was apparent as both goals were scored at the ends of the halves when I think our guys really got tired, Not that that's any excuse, because we made some mistakes, but we did what we could, and hopefully next time we can improve and learn from this first back-to-back experience."
USL First Division Stories from May 30, 2009
- Whitecaps suffer defeat - Vancouver Whitecaps
- Portland extends unbeaten streak to seven games - Portland Timbers
- Impact wins with 1-0 shutout against Rhinos - Montreal Impact
- Williams and Treschuk score as Battery beats Cleveland - Charleston Battery
- City Stars Fall 2-0 to Undefeated Charleston Battery - Cleveland City Stars
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