Battery blanks Eagles in USL season opener
They can't beat you if they can't score.
Charleston goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra made six saves and got an own goal from Charlotte as the Battery beat the Eagles, 1-0, in the USL Pro Division season opener for both clubs Saturday night before a crowd of 4,083 at Blackbaud Stadium.
It was a sloppy season opener for both teams, but the Battery's defense did appear to be in midseason form as the Eagles were barely able to mount much of an attack. The 13 shots Charlotte got were mainly from the perimeter.
"I thought for the most part we kept our shape defensively and kept them to the outside," said Charleston coach Mike Anhaeuser. "Charlotte did a good job of keeping some
pressure on us, but it didn't get many scoring chances until the very end of the game.
"We got the shutout, we got the own goal and we got the three points and you've got to be happy with that."
The Battery's attack looked a little out of sync and managed just a handful of scoring chances.
"I thought we showed some nerves tonight," Anhaeuser said. "It was a sloppy effort. We didn't have a ton of possessions and there was some miscommunication between our forwards. At first we did a good job of getting the ball wide and switching the field, but we didn't keep that up. We've got to learn from this game and move onto next week."
The Eagles nearly scored in the 41st minute after a rebound sailed out to Walter Moore just outside the 18-yard box. Moore half-volleyed the ball back toward the Battery net. Dykstra had come off his line to challenge the original shot, but then was out of position for Moore's volley. Veteran Charleston defender John Wilson back-pedaled and headed the ball off the line to end the threat.
The Battery took a 1-0 lead on an own goal in the 58th minute. After a long ball was played to Dane Kelly down the right flank, the speedy Jamaican beat Charlotte defender Josh Rife to the ball. Kelly took two dribbles and then crossed a ball to Levi Coleman in the 18-yard box. The pass deflected off of a Charlotte defender into the net for the score.
Seedy Bah nearly gave the Battery a two-goal lead in the 85th minute. After a Charlotte turnover, Mike Zaher played a ball across the field to midfielder Niki Paterson. Paterson flicked the ball Bah in the middle of the field just outside the 18-yard box. Bah took a touch and then blasted a shot on net that Charlotte keeper Eric Reed stopped.
The Eagles nearly answered three minutes later after a corner kick. After a scramble in front of the net, the ball bounced out to midfielder Alan Sanchez inside the six-yard box. But Sanchez's shot deflected off of a Charlotte player in front of the goal and out of bounds.
Defender Colin Falvey was serving a one-game suspension from last year's USL Second Division championship game against Richmond. The red card carried over to this season. Falvey received a red card in the second half for a hard tackle.
