Battery-Kickers match has sizable implications

The rivalry is back.

Charleston and Richmond have faced each other 39 times over the past 17 years, with the Kickers holding a slight 18-17-4 advantage in the series.

The 40th game between the two old rivals -- today at 7:30 p.m. at Blackbaud Stadium -- will go a long way in determining this year's regular season champion in the USL Second Division.

With five weeks remaining in the regular season, just two points separate the Battery (7-3-3, 24 points) and the Kickers (6-3-4, 22) from first place in the league.

"You can throw out any cliche you want, but this is a huge game for both clubs," said Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser. "I don't see either team sitting back very much. I think both clubs realize what's at stake and know what three points could mean in the standings."

From 1993 to 2005, the Battery and Kickers played each other 36 times. In 2006, the Kickers dropped down from USL-1 to USL-2, where they have been a perennial power, winning league titles in 2006 and '09.

As a player and later as a coach, Anhaeuser has vivid memories of taking on the Kickers.

"It's been a great rivalry over the years," Anhaeuser said. "No matter what division Richmond is in, they always seem to have a veteran group of guys that play well together. They defend properly and they make good decisions when they're on the attack. Some of the most intense matches I've experienced in this league as a player and a coach have come against Richmond."

Home field has been a key factor during the regular season series. The Kickers, who lead the season series, 2-1-0, won both games at home.

"We gave up a pretty clumsy goal early on," said Battery captain Stephen Armstrong. "We started to press in the second half to get the equalizer and then gave up a second goal on the counterattack. We played well in the second half. We got a half-dozen good scoring chances in the second half, but we just couldn't get that equalizer."

The Battery wasn't at full strength either. Ian Fuller, John Wilson, Mike Zaher, Rudolph Mayard and Colin Falvey were not in the lineup. While the club will be closer to full strength tonight, it will have a couple of key players out due to injuries. Mayard (foot) and Zaher (groin), along with defender Yeniel Bermudez (ankle), are expected to miss the game with injuries.

"I think at this point in the season, no team is going to be 100 percent healthy," Armstrong said. "This is the time of year when your team depth becomes so important. You need some of the younger guys to take on a bigger role."

Anhaeuser is hoping that Brandon Massie and Jon Gruenewald will be able to step into the midfield in place of Mayard, while defenders Nigel Marples and O'Brian Woodbine will step in on the back line. Marples and Woodbine have more than 20 combined starts between them this season.

Armstrong hopes a change of scenery will help the Battery's cause.

"I think we've got to be more aggressive," he said. "We've given them too much space in the games up at their place."