Charleston’s first real scoring chance of the first half came in the 37th minute when 6-foot-6 striker Ian Svantesson’s bicycle kick, after a cross from Zeiko Lewis, was tipped over the cross bar by STLFC keeper Gomez.

On the second of successive corner kicks following that chance, the visitors grabbed the 1-0 lead in the when Lewis kept the ball alive on the right side and took advantage of some slow-reacting defense with a pass across the box for Jarad van Schaik, who tucked a 10-yard shot into the far corner of the STLFC net.

“We switch off for one moment, give up a chance, and they score,” Fink said. “We’re just not good enough in the critical moments of the game and that’s the difference for us right now.”

Following road games against Indy Eleven on Aug. 17 and the Ottawa Fury on Aug. 24, STLFC will kick off September with three home games in a span of seven days, hosting Hartford Athletic on Sept. 1, the Ottawa Fury on Sept. 4 and Nashville SC on Sept. 7.

“Credit to the guys, they rallied,” Pulis said. “I thought we had a good, positive reaction in the second half in a game I felt we deserved to win. They’ve been doing it for years, (Charlotte) sits, they defend deep and they wait for mistakes.

“It’s frustrating that we’re not getting the points to reward the level of performance. But we’ve got to keep going.”

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