USL Charleston Battery

Match Preview: Charleston Battery at Pittsburgh Riverhounds

July 19, 2018 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release


The Charleston Battery (8-3-8) will put their six-game unbeaten streak on the line Saturday night when they travel to take on the second-place Pittsburgh Riverhounds (9-1-7) at Highmark Stadium.

Coming off of back-to-back wins at MUSC Health Stadium, the Battery will face a team in the top four of the USL Eastern Conference for the third consecutive match Saturday night. Charleston picked up a vital six points last week, defeating Indy Eleven and Louisville City four days apart.

Gordon Wild scored both Battery goals in the 2-1 win over Indy midweek, while Ataulla Guerra and Neveal Hackshaw found the back of the net against Louisville. Guerra's goal was his tenth of the season, which has him in second place in the USL Golden Boot race behind Orange County's Thomas Enevoldsen. Hackshaw and Wild were included in the USL Team of the Week for their efforts in the victories.

Pittsburgh enters the match with rested legs after having last weekend off. The Riverhounds defeated Ottawa Fury FC, 1-0, in Canada in their previous match on July 8. Hugh Roberts scored Pittsburgh's only goal and Dan Lynd earned his league-high ninth shutout against Ottawa.

The Riverhounds have lost just once with new Head Coach Bob Lilley at the helm, while everyone else in the Eastern Conference has at least three losses. Lilley's Hounds have only given up one goal in their nine matches at Highmark Stadium, earning eight of their league-leading twelve clean sheets at home.

Charleston and Pittsburgh played to a 0-0 draw in their previous meeting this season at MUSC Health Stadium on June 23. Both teams were strong defensively in the scoreless draw; they registered just eight shots between them. Wild came closest to scoring in the 56th minute, but his free kick struk the bar and bounced out.

Guerra and Neco Brett, two of the league's top scorers, were held goalless in the match. Guerra has scored three goals in the four games since the draw with Pittsburgh last month, while Brett has failed to find the back of the net. With eight goals and three assists this season, Brett has had a direct hand in more than half of Pittsburgh's goals.

Similarly, Guerra carried much of the goal-scoring load early in the season for the Battery, but has gotten help from his teammates of late. Wild's brace against Indy last week brought his season total to six, making him and Guerra one of the Eastern Conference's best 1-2 punches. O'Brian Woodbine has also helped in the attacking third, scoring two goals and registering two assists since returning to play on May 30.

Pittsburgh has two games in hand and a two point lead on Charleston entering Saturday's match. The Battery is aiming for their fourth win in five games, while the Hounds will be looking to extend their win streak to four games, which would be their longest since 2013. A third consecutive win for the Battery would see them move above Pittsburgh in the table and into second place. A loss would give the Riverhounds the opportunity to put some breathing room between themselves and the Battery with their games in hand.

Following Saturday's match in Pittsburgh, the Battery will return home to host the Richmond Kickers for the first time this season. That match is scheduled to kick off at 7:00 PM.

Check out the Charleston Battery Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 19, 2018


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