Battery capture their opening-round game

Open Cup: Battery 2, Regals FC 0

The Charleston Battery had not played a match in more than 10 days. At times Tuesday night, they looked like the Battery hadn't played a match all season.

Niki Paterson scored on a penalty kick and Dane Kelly added a goal late in the second half as the Battery slogged

their way to a 2-0 victory over Regals FC in the opening round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Blackbaud Stadium.

With the victory, the Battery will face Orlando City, a 2-0 winner over ASC New Stars, next Tuesday in the second round of the U.S. Open Cup at Blackbaud Stadium at 7:30 p.m.

Whether it was the long layoff or the inferior opponent -- Regals FC is an amateur team out of Houston -- the Battery looked like a team without an identity in the first 45 minutes.

"When you play a team from a lower division, sometimes you play to their level," Paterson said. "In the first half, we had a lot of time and a lot of space and guys were trying to dribble the ball when they probably should have passed it.

"I don't know if that was because of the layoff or because of who were playing, but it wasn't a very pretty first half."

Charleston coach Mike Anhaeuser said the Battery allowed Regals FC to dictate the pace of play during the first half. "They sat back and didn't push forward and we were a little impatient as a result," Anhaeuser said. "The longer they stayed in the game, the more confident they got and the tighter we seemed to get."

Anhaeuser made a couple of adjustments at halftime, which included putting striker Levi Coleman higher up in the formation. The move paid immediate dividends.

A minute into the second half, Coleman was taken down in the penalty area by defender Robert Hernandez. Referee Skye Arthur Banning immediately signaled for a penalty kick.

Paterson calmly converted on the penalty kick and the Battery led 1-0 in the 47th minute.

"I think that made everyone relax a little bit," Paterson said. "Getting that first goal usually has that kind of effect on you, especially when you're playing against a team from a lower level. We were able to play the kind of game we wanted to after the goal."

After several near-scoring chances, the Battery pushed their advantage to 2-0 on Kelly's goal in the 77th minute.

After another strong buildup, Brandon Massie served a ball to striker Seedy Bah at the top of the 18-yard box. Bah back-heeled the ball to a wide open Kelly, who settled the ball, pivoted and then blasted it past Regals FC keeper Marcus Sanchez for the score.

"We had five or six quality chances in the second half," Anhaeuser said. "We probably should have scored three or four goals. We didn't make great decisions with the ball, especially in the first half."

Defensively, the Battery had little trouble against their amateur opponent. Regals FC managed just two shots on goal and never threatened on the attack.

"Overall, they didn't get any numbers forward and they didn't put us under much pressure," Anhaeuser said. "We had a lot of possessions, so it was difficult for them to get anything going on the attack. In the Open Cup, it's all about you win, and you move on and you don't look back."

--Midfielder Deigo Walsh replaced midfielder J.C. Mack in the 37th minute because of an undisclosed injury.

--It was a tough night for Regals FC defender Robert Hernandez. Hernandez took down striker Levi Coleman in the box and the Battery was awarded a penalty kick as a result. Then five minutes later, he got a yellow card got a heavy challenge on Coleman again. He received a second yellow card and a red card in the 80th minute for another hard tackle on Dane Kelly.

Regals FC was forced to play with a man down for the final 10 minutes of the game.