Charleston Battery Season Update

After an exciting preseason and best yet finish in the Carolina Challenge Cup, the Battery opened the 2011 season with a nervy 1-0 victory over the Charlotte Eagles.  This year’s roster of course features several new faces and a few familiar vets as well, most notably, the return of "retired" defender and captain John Wilson.  The following match saw our boys dispatch the debut franchise Dayton Dutch Lions with a strong away performance in Ohio winning 2-1.  New signing Nicki Paterson opened his account for the season and defender Colin Falvey found the net in his first match this year.  Unfortunately, the winning streak was cut short by a road loss to old rivals and current league leaders Richmond Kickers.  Levi Coleman netted once but it wasn't enough as Charleston surrendered three points and bragging rights with the game finishing 2-1.  This setback was followed by a good response and an important win against the Eagles at Winthrop.  After conceding early, the southern derby tie saw Gambian playmaker Seedy Bah slot home in the 33rd minute and another goal from Patterson completed the comeback with a 2-1 result.  The following evening, despite some 17 shots on goal, the Battery were held to a scoreless draw by the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.  Tomorrow night (friday) our boys face the Riverhounds on their turf looking to come away with all three points.  The return of Stephen Armstrong should bolster the defense, but the weekend promises to be a challenging as we will face Rochester in New York the following evening.  Last Saturday's match was a defensive showdown and we can probably expect more of the same asPittsburgh boasts one of the league's best keepers in Hunter Gilstrap.  These two games will be a good test of our roster depth but if we play our cards right, we should come away with two wins