It had been nearly a month since the Charleston Battery last put three points on the table.

Their last win came on August 11th at home against Atlanta United 2, moving the needle to 199 wins for Coach Mike Anhaeuser. But that win was followed by a 3–0 loss in Northern Kentucky and back-to-back draws after egregious officiating at home against the Baby Pink Cows and on the road in Southern Indiana. Seven crucial points were left on the table in the hotly contested Eastern Conference playoff race, but the Battery still maintained a top four spot.

None of that mattered Saturday night, as the Charleston Battery (12–4–12) shutout the Tampa Bay Rowdies (8–12–7) 1–0, secured win number 200 for Coach Anhaeuser, and moved back into third place in the East.

The Battery had several changes to the Starting XI Saturday night as several players were unavailable. Jarad van Schaik is still out and recovering from surgery, the King of Charleston started serving the first of his three match suspension, Vincenzo Candela served his one match suspension for yellow card accumulation, and Neveal Hackshaw is still adjusting to Eastern Daylight Time having just arrived with from International Duty with Trinidad and Tobago’s friendly against the UAE in Spain.

Ian Svantesson, the big 6'6 Swede, led the attack up front, while Tah Brian Anunga returned in the midfield. We also saw the back line for the first time in the “Wall of Doom” formation, with defenders Skylar Thomas at 6'5", Taylor Mueller the “short” man at 6'2", Leland Archer at 6'4", and GI Joe Kuzminsky at 6'4" in goal.

The Battery anticipated the Rowdies would come out on the attack early, with their playoff ambitions on the line, and so Charleston attempted to strike first. Nico Rittmeyer’s shot on goal in the 5th minute was saved in the bottom right corner.

Former Baby Pink Cow Junior Flemmings, who was Battery kryptonite last season but largely ineffective for the Rowdies against the Battery this year, tried to get Tampa Bay on the board in the 13th and 21st minutes, but Kuzminsky denied both attempts with ease.

The Battery immediately went on the counter after Flemmings’ attempt in the 21st minute. Driving the ball up the field, Svantesson dished the ball on the right side to Patrick Okonkwo. Okonkwo blew past the Rowdies’ Tarek Morad and took the ball down to the 18 where his right footed, ground rocket to the far post got past a diving Daniel Vega.

Okonkwo, the Atlanta United loaned player, tallied his fourth goal in three games and displayed his silky smooth dance moves much to the delight of the 2,949 fans in attendance.

For the remainder of the first half, the Battery contained the Rowdies, keeping most the play between the 18’s, as depicted on the USL Heat Map, with the Battery playing right to left.

USL First Half Heat Map #CHSvTBR

The second half did not fair much better for the Rowdies. Coach Neill Collins used all three substitutions early in the second half, between the 55th and 68th minutes, in the hopes of putting in fresh legs and trying to infuse life into the Rowdies, but it just never materialized.

USL Second Half Heat Map #CHSvTBR

As you can see above, in the second half, the Rowdies tried to get the ball forward, keeping most of the action in the Battery’s defensive half. While the Rowdies maintained more than 67 percent of the possession and had more than double the number of passes (653 to 315), they still failed to find the back of the net. The Battery’s defensive wall dug in and systematically broke up nearly every drive the Rowdies attempted to make.

But there were some moments of “OH NO” for the Battery faithful. Alex Morrell tried valiantly multiple times late in the 60th and 70th minutes but was denied by Kuzminsky each time. Sebastián Guenzatti, who scored a brace last week at NCFC in Rowdies 3–0 shutout, tried to breath life into the stagnant Rowdie offense. But his attempts fell flat and Kuzminsky came up big.

Even with five additional minutes tacked on by referee Rubiel Vazquez, the Battery continued their dominance at home with the 1–0 shutout and secured all three points. The shutout earned Kuzminsky his 11th of the year and the 13th for the team, which is second best in the USL behind the Riverhounds.

Game notes

Focused: The Black and Yellow have their eyes on the prize and played with a purpose. Having to play without several key starters, the team rallied together and held off a tough and determine Rowdies team fighting for a playoff spot.

The Black and Yellow have their eyes on the prize and played with a purpose. Having to play without several key starters, the team rallied together and held off a tough and determine Rowdies team fighting for a playoff spot. Dominate: Home field advantage is huge for the Battery. Three of the four losses this season occurred on the road. Having scored seven goals in the last three matches, the offensive guns are red hot and the defense turned in another clean sheet, putting three points on the table to help ensure a first round playoff match at home next month.

With the win the Battery move solely into third place, just one point behind Pittsburgh and nine points clear of eighth place Nashville, though they’ve played two more games than fourth place Louisville City. Both Carolina del Norte teams are tied with 35 points, four points out of eighth place and 13 points behind the Battery, with only six matches left in the regular season and each team still having a match against the Battery in Charleston.

Match summary

In Defense of Charleston

The Boys in Black and Blue: Donned in special jersey’s that were auctioned off for charity for Hometown Heroes Night, the TEAM is the man of the match. The game day 18 roster and staff played with heart and secured win 200 for Coach Anhaeuser. With three games remaining at home, the push for the playoffs continues.

Photo Credit: Charleston Battery via Twitter

Box score

Charleston Battery — 1

Tampa Bay Rowdies — 0

Match Highlights

Up next

The Southern Derby Cup is up next as the Battery host Charlotte at home, pending Hurricane Florence finalizing her end of summer plans to make landfall later this week. Look for our collaboration with the boys from the Talkin’ Jacks podcast later this week.

As always, thanks for reading! Be sure to check back after the games for our Battery recaps, read all our Battery coverage here and follow Soccer ‘n’ Sweet Tea on Twitter for all the latest Carolina soccer news.

#FreeTheSauceBoss and #UpTheBattery!