Battery, Timbers battle to a draw

The two best defensive teams in the USL First Division put on an offensive show Saturday night at Blackbaud Stadium.

Well, it was an offensive showcase by Charleston and Portland standards.

Randi Patterson scored for Charleston and Mandjou Keita scored for Portland, all in the second half, as the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw before a crowd of 3,076 at Blackbaud Stadium.

Despite the draw, the Battery remains in first place in the USL First Division with a record of 6-0-6 (24 points). The Timbers (5-1-5, 20 points) remain in third.

Charleston and Portland came into Saturday night's game having given up just eight total goals. The Battery, which had recorded a shutout in six of its last seven matches, is the top defensive team in the USL First Division, having given up just three goals in 11 games, while Portland had surrendered four goals in 10 matches.

So, it came as a little bit of a surprise that each team was able to score. The two teams combined for 21 shots and nearly a dozen quality scoring chances.

"It was a pretty open game, especially in the second half," said Charleston coach Mike Anhaeuser. "Portland certainly didn't sit back and we were trying

to pressure them all night. We did a better job of that in the second half than we did in the first."

The Battery was forced to play the final 10 minutes of the match without keeper Dusty Hudock, who left the game with a back strain.

"I think it just tightened up on him," Anhaeuser said. "He's not the kind of guy that's going to take himself out of the game unless it's something that's going to affect his play." Hudock's status for Tuesday's U.S. Open Cup game with Miami is uncertain.

The Battery's best chance during the first half came in the 33rd minute off a corner kick. Midfielder Tyler Hemming played a ball in from the right side that defender Nelson Akwari headed on goal. However, Akwari's attempt hit the crossbar and bounced out of play.

The Battery finally broke through on Patterson's third goal of the season in the 64th minute.

Patterson started the play by forcing a turnover by Portland defender Stephen Keel about 25 yards out. Patterson flicked the ball on the right flank to Chris Williams. Williams slotted the ball back to Patterson, who took one dribble and blasted a shot past Portland keeper Steve Cronin for the score.

"What a great pass from Chris and an equally great finish from Randi," Anhaeuser said. "That was just a beautiful play from those two."

The Timbers tied the game on Keita's header in the 84th minute.

Scot Thompson got a loose ball on the right flank, dribbled past a defender and served a ball into the 6-yard box that Keita headed past Charleston keeper Keith Wiggans, who replaced Hudock in the 81st minute.

"It's really frustrating to give up a late goal like that at home," Akwari said. "We gave (Keita) too much time on the outside. It was great service into the box and we didn't mark (Thompson).

"Portland is a good team and they played really well. We've got to give them credit where credit is due."

Headers

--Midfielders Stephen Armstrong (ankle) and Tsuyoshi Yoshitake (hamstring) were out with injuries.

--O'Brian Woodbine saw his first USL First Division action of the season against the Timbers. Woodbine, who played Tuesday night against Atlanta FC in the U.S. Open Cup, had missed the first two months of the season with a broken foot.