Battery held to tie on road by Dayton

Dayton, OHIO -- Nicki Paterson scored twice, but the Dayton Dutch Lions rallied to deny the Charleston Battery victory as they fought back to a 2-2 tie Saturday at Miami Valley Stadium. Paterson put the Battery ahead twice in a thrilling first half, but Dayton answered on both occasions.

With the draw, the Battery (9-6-5) drops into fourth position in the USL Pro American Division, one point behind Richmond and Wilmington, which are tied for second spot.

Charleston opened the scoring in the 13th minute with some dogged attacking play by its center-midfield pairing. Alex Caskey won the ball in the penalty area and set it back for Paterson 20 yards out. He ran onto the pass and hit the top corner.

Five minutes later, the lead was erased as George Davis IV was first to the loose ball following an errant clearance by Charleston. He timed his run well and clipped the ball home past Battery keeper Andrew Dykstra from close range.

Paterson scored his second in the 41st minute after a nice move that was started by midfielder Zack Prince. Prince back-heeled the ball to forward Seedy Bah, who lifted it over the defense for Paterson to run onto. With keeper Brian Visser charging off his line, Paterson accelerated to the ball and thumped it home.

Dayton drew level again just before the break with a headed goal by defender Happy Hall from a corner. The ball was whipped in at pace, and the Battery failed to clear as Hall ghosted in at the back post.

Next up for the Battery is an international exhibition match against England's Portsmouth FC on Wednesday night at Blackbaud Stadium.