Tough Weekend for the Battery

Two matches in two days saw the Battery drop five out of a possible six points.  As expected, two tough defenses were well matched in Friday night's tie with Pittsburgh.  The deciding factor was a red card given to the Battery's Evan Taylor in the 53rd minute of play.  It was a soggy evening and the Battery held the upper hand for the first half.  There were several good chances early on and the Battery kept up the pressure after the break.  However, being reduced to ten men forced Charleston to defend and gave the Riverhounds more space to work with.  It finished nil-nil, but red card aside it was still a disappointing result.  Saturday, with a much altered line-up, our boys faced old rivals the Rochester Rhinos.  Despite a solid defensive performance, the Battery conceded about midway through the first half.  Rochester and their crowd of nearly 5,000 certainly relished the bit of luck that saw Tony Donatelli's shot come off the crossbar, into the back of Battery GK Keith Wiggans, and into the net.  Charleston mustered a great effort in the closing seconds of the match but the own goal would remain the only one recorded on the scoresheet.  The Battery return to Charleston this weekend to face league newcomers F.C. NewYork.  Charleston remains unbeaten at Blackbaud and New York are still in search of their first win of the season.