Late goal salvages tie with Monarchs

The Charleston Battery are still unbeaten at Blackbaud Stadium, but just barely.

Lamar Neagle scored two goals, including the game- tying score in the final minute of stoppage time as Charleston and Real Maryland battled to a 2-2 draw Saturday night before a crowd of 3,533 at Blackbaud Stadium.

With the tie, the Battery is 3-0-2 at home this season and remains in first place in the USL Second Division with an overall mark of 6-1-2 (20 points). The Monarchs are 2-3-4 (10 points).

With the Battery trailing 2-1 in stoppage time, defender John Wilson served the ball into the six-yard box. The ball bounced around, but was eventually cleared out to Charleston defender Mike Zaher about 30 yards out.

"The ball came out to me, and I had two guys rushing at me," Zaher said. "I saw there was some space on the back post and I tried to put the ball back there and hope for the best. I know that a lot of times the defense gets a little focused on the ball, so there's usually some space on the back post."

Zaher's ball was right on target as Neagle snapped home the header for his team-leading fifth goal on the season.

"We needed that goal," Neagle said. "I saw Mike had the ball and drifted to the back post. The ball was in the air and luckily I timed it right. The main thing to remember in that situation is to stay onside. A lot of times the defense will take a step up and then you're offside. But I was watching to make sure I wasn't.

"It's a big point for us. We didn't play well in the first half, so to come out in the final 45 minutes, get two goals and get a point out of this game is huge."

Despite being just over 5-9, the Tacoma, Wash., native seems to have a knack for winning balls in the air.

"Lamar's timing is incredible," said Charleston Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser. "He's a goal scorer. He just finds a way to put the ball in the back of the net. I hope all the fans were excited because that's a huge point for us. What a fantastic finish for the guys."

In what seems to be a recurring theme this season, the Battery got off to another slow start and had to battle from behind almost the entire match.

"I don't know what it is, but we seem to have three or four guys that need an extra five to 10 minutes to get going," Anhaeuser said. "We tried to pumped them up before the game and you hope they come out flying, but we were a little flat."

The Monarchs grabbed a 1-0 lead in the sixth minute on a sloppy defensive play by the Battery. The ball was served into the six-yard box by midfielder Nicholas Patterson from about 25 yards out. The ball deflected off a Battery defender and right to Mason Trafford, who headed it past Battery keeper Tim Melia for the score.

Real Maryland pushed its advantage to 2-0 when Ben Hunter scored in the 41st minute off a volley inside the six-yard box.

The Battery cut the lead in half on Neagle's goal in the 52nd minute. Rudolph Mayard got the ball about 30 yards out, stepped inside a Monarch defender and raced toward the goal. Mayard slipped the ball outside to Amaury Nunes, who served a beautiful ball into the six-yard box. Neagle easily volleyed the ball past Brian Levry for the score.

"I guessed that Amaury was going near post and I was right," Neagle said. "It was a great ball. I don't think their defender knew where I was, and I got my leg on it."

The Monarchs appeared to take a 3-1 lead in the 69th minute when Alan Sanchez scored off a scramble in front of the net. However, the Monarchs were ruled to be offside on the play and the goal was disallowed.

--Midfielders Stephen Armstrong (leg) and Jon Gruenewald (groin) were out of the lineup with injuries.

--Midfielder Zach Prince was serving a one-game suspension after receiving a red card against Harrisburg last weekend.

--Assistant coach Ian Fuller dressed and entered the game in the 70th minute.