Patterson Owns Pittsburgh, Charleston 3-1 Pittsburgh

Quickly rebounding from Tuesday's Open Cup exit against the Red Bulls, Charleston powered past Pittsbugh as Nicki Patterson netted two goals in as many minutes to lift the Battery in Thursday night's win over the Riverhounds.

Coming on strong, despite facing a highly competitive New York team only two days earlier, Charleston enjoyed possession in the first half.  The game seemed to lack pace and the ball soon became bogged down in midfield.   However, towards the end of the first half, the Battery began turning the screw.  Intricate combination play from Zach Prince to Ryan Richter afforded Dane Kelly a fine shot on  goal in the forty-second minute.  The Jamaican's effort was palmed away, resulting in a Charleston corner.  Entering stoppage time, Charleston managed a lobbed throw-in which fell squarely for the advancing Patterson.  The Scotsman blasted an unstoppable goal from point-blank range to nudge the visitors ahead.  Merely seconds later, Kelly was felled just outside the box by a grim foul from Pittsburgh's Flunder.  Ever the set piece connoisseur, Patterson lifted a bending ball over the wall and  into the top right corner of the net, earning his brace in scarcely a minute!

Continuing where they left off, Charleston again pressured the Riverhound's defense, and forcing another bad foul, Dane Kelly's loss was the Battery's gain when Pittsburgh's Matt Kassel was shown red in the fifty-eighth minute.  A man down but driving with conviction, the Hounds were awarded a penalty on the hour and Costanza converted neatly from the spot.  Sensing another goal, Pittsburgh surged and forced a save from Andrew Dykstra.  The would-be equalizer was transposed to a counterattack as Richter and Prince collaborated once more to stride the full length of the field.  Finding Kelly on the inside, the second year Charleston striker avenged his earlier losses by redirecting the ball and netting a goal of his own.

With the win, Charleston sit a scant five points adrift of league leaders Orlando with a game in hand and could overtake them in the table if they win Saturday against the giant-killing Dayton Dutch Lions, and again in a week's time against the lions of Orlando City.  Its been a demanding week for the boys already but they've been fantastic so far, so lets cheer them on to another three points in Ohio!!

Battery Tame Hounds, Charleston 1-0 Pittsburgh

Claiming their first home win of the season, the Charleston Battery toppled the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in last Saturday's encounter at Blackbaud Stadium.  With 3,269 in attendance, Charleston outmatched and outgunned the Hounds on every corner of the pitch.  The game's only goal came at ten minutes as Nicki Patterson headed goalwards from a Jose Cuevas freekick.  The Battery's impenetrable defense allowed for another offensive game and the Low Country Boys managed an impressive thirteen shots to Pitt's six.  Charleston were unlucky not to have netted a few more, but Hunter Gilstrap helped the dogs hold on.  His opposite number between the sticks, Charleston's Andrew Dykstra had an impressive game as well.  With four important saves as well as solid leadership and cooperation from the back, the Battery recorded their second successive clean sheet.  Pittsburgh surged late in the second half but were unable to level the score.

This is another promising result for Charleston who after the weekend's action sit one point below league leaders Orlando City.  The win came with a cost, however.  Defensive midfielder Amadou Sanyang was taken off halfway through the match due to a lower abdominal injury.  As vitally important is the ankle sprain suffered by Jose Cuevas whose creativity and nose for goal has led the squad thus far.

On a positive note, Nicki Patterson seems to be making a habit of finding the net.  In the same vein, during the midweek returning Jamaican striker Dane Kelly put pen to paper along with his Caribbean compatriot Navion Boyd.  The Reggae Boyz have both come to Charleston from Jamaican Premier side Tivoli Gardens FC.  Kelly returns after a successful season with the Battery, scoring six goals and notching an assist last year.  Boyd, a member of the Jamaican national team, is a veteran striker for Tivoli Gardens scoring twenty-six goals in his stint with the club.  Both are ridiculously fast and should make our already successful strike force that much more dangerous!

Charleston host Antigua Barracuda FC Friday at the 'Baud and will be out for another strong result at home.  Judging from a USOC post earlier in the day, Open Cup fixtures will be forthcoming here in just a few days!  So stay tuned...and as always, Up the Battery!!