Charleston falls to Bolton

Colin Falvey had small gash under left eye, a No. 14 Bolton jersey slung over his right shoulder, and a huge smile on his face.

Who could blame the Charleston Battery defender.

The English Premier League's Bolton Wanderers might have won 2-0 on the scoreboard, but it was a win-win situation for both clubs and the 5,249 fans that jammed into Blackbaud Stadium to witness Charleston soccer history.

As the final referee's whistle blew ending the match, Bolton striker Kevin Davies strolled to the Battery's bench, shook Falvey's hand, and handed him his jersey.

It was a sign of respect.

"I was shocked," Falvey said. "He gave me a little knock under my eye and told me I played a good game and he enjoyed it. It was a nice little touch that I didn't expect. It shows you what kind of professional he is."

Falvey and Davies bumped and grinded against each other most of the first half.

"He's a great player, very strong," Falvey said. "I enjoyed it. It was fun. It's fun to see how you match up against the best players in the world."

Playing on the same field with a team from the world's top soccer league was a thrill for all the Battery players, but especially for Falvey, a native of Ireland.

"You definitely know you're playing against a Premier League player," Falvey said. "They use their bodies a bit more, they're clever with the ball and they are all comfortable on the ball. It was a fantastic experience. The crowd was great and I think we made it tough on Bolton. I think everyone won tonight."

Davies had a goal and added an assist in the victory for Bolton, which was playing its second game in a three-game North American tour.

Bolton defeated Charlotte, also of the USL Second Division, earlier in the week, 3-0. The Wanderers face Major League Soccer's Toronto FC on Wednesday.

Bolton manager Owen Coyle said the Battery gave the Wanderers the test he was hoping for.

"We knew this was going to be a tougher test," Coyle said. "Charleston is a quality side, and I was delighted we got two goals against them. I think we moved the ball more crisply as the game went on. We came here to get our fitness and we did that tonight. It's been a win-win-win situation for everyone involved."

While Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser would have preferred a better result, he was pleased with the overall effort, especially after playing Friday night against Real Maryland.

"I thought it was a great night," Anhaeuser said. "The stadium was buzzing, it was a great crowd and I thought the game was entertaining. That's what a game like this is all about. I wish we could have scored a goal or made it a little closer, but this was a great experience for everyone."

With the temperature near 90 degrees at kickoff, both teams started slowly. Bolton finally broke through and grabbed a 1-0 lead on Davies' goal in the 29th minute.

After a turnover at midfield by the Battery, Bolton midfielder Matt Taylor picked up the loose ball and slid it to Martin Petrov, making a strong run left flank. Petrov took the ball to the corner and made a beautiful cross to a wide-open Davies, who easily volleyed it past Charleston keeper Keith Wiggans for the score.

"Martin's a dangerous player, with good pace and good quality," Davies said. "You want to get in the box when he's got the ball out there. It was a great ball in and I didn't have to do too much. Charleston gave us a good game and I think we got a lot of fitness out of the game, which was the most important thing."

The Battery got its best scoring chance in the first half on a long ball to striker Tom Heinemann down the middle of the field in the 41st minute. Heinemann shouldered his way past Bolton center defender Zat Knight then blasted a shot on net that Wanderers keeper Jussi Jaaskelainen easily stopped.

Charleston continued to pressure late in the first half. After a strong buildup, the ball fell to midfielder Jon Gruenewald, who whipped in a shot from 25 yards out. But his shot sailed just over the crossbar to end the threat.

The Wanderers doubled their lead to 2-0 on Tamir Cohen's goal in the 52nd minute. Midfielder Ricardo Gardner picked up a loose ball about 40 yards out and chipped it forward to Davies. Davies slotted the ball past the Battery defenders to a wide-open Cohen, who chipped it past Wiggans for the score.

The Wanderers nearly had a third goal in the 78th minute when Cohen slotted a ball past the Charleston back four to Robbie Blake. Blake took two strong dribbles and blasted a shot that Wiggans was able to save.

Rudolph Mayard had a chance in stoppage time when he was served a ball behind the Bolton defense. But his left-footed shot from just outside the 18-yard box sailed wide of the net.