Battery rallies for draw

The worst thing you can say about Charleston's 1-1 draw Thursday night with Vancouver was that the Battery earned one point in the USL First Division standings.

The best thing? Well, it was that the Battery earned a point.

Ian Fuller scored early in the second half as the Battery had to rally from an early deficit to earn a draw against the defending the USL First Division champions.

With the point, the Battery is 12-4-9 (45) points and moved into sole possession of second place in the USL First Division. The Whitecaps, who are battling for a playoff spot, are 7-9-7 (28 points) -- three points ahead of Miami FC Blues for the seventh and final playoff spot.

For a team that is used to earning three points every time it plays at Blackbaud Stadium, the Battery was hoping for more than a draw and a single point against the Whitecaps, a team it beat, 2-1, two weeks ago in Vancouver. The Battery, which is 7-1-3 at home this season, trails first-place Portland by three points with a month left in the regular season.

"At this point in the season every point is crucial, especially for any home game," said Charleston Battery coach Mike Anhaeuser. "We expect to get three points every time we play here. We've had great success at home, so to get a draw is a little disappointing."

After playing three games in five days more than a week ago, the Battery had 10 days to prepare for Vancouver.

But it was the Whitecaps, who were playing in their second game in three days, that appeared to be the fresher team.

"Sometimes you come out flying and other times you struggle a little bit to get your legs going in the first few minutes after a layoff," Fuller said. "We didn't have a lot of energy early on, but after they scored, I thought we did well.

"I thought we regrouped and controlled most of the first half. We just couldn't seem to score. When we finally did score, I thought we'd get a second and possibly a third goal, but it just didn't happen for us tonight."

Anhaeuser said the Battery was caught a little flat-footed in the first five minutes of the game.

"I'm not so sure we came out all that flat," Anhaeuser said. "I just think

there was a little confusion in the back and they put it in."

The Whitecaps wasted little time in getting on the scoreboard, taking a 1-0 lead on Charles Gbeke goal in the fifth minute.

After a nice build-up by the Whitecaps, defender Wesley Knight served a searching ball into the 6-yard box. Gbeke was left unmarked and easily tapped the ball in for the score.

Charleston tied the game less than two minutes into the second half on Fuller's header off a set piece. Defender O'Brian Woodbine drew a foul just outside the 18-yard box on the left side, and Tsuyoshi Yoshitake served a curling ball to the back post that Fuller redirected past Vancouver keeper Jay Nolly for the score in the 47th minute.

"What a perfect ball," said Fuller, who notched his second goal of the season. "I kind of had a feeling (Yoshitake) was going to go near post, and he bent a perfect ball, and all I had to do was redirect it."

The Battery had an excellent chance to score in the 70th minute off a set piece. After Kenji Treschuk was taken down just outside the 18-yard box, Yoshitake had a free kick from 20 yards out. But his attempt hit the Whitecaps wall to end the threat.

Headers

--Keeper Dusty Hudock (knee) and midfielder Tyler Hemming (knee) were out with injuries.

"The doctors are going to evaluate Dusty (Thursday night) and we'll probably get the results (today)," Anhaeuser said. "I'm optimistic that Dusty will be able to come back this season."

--Midfielder Stephen Armstrong left the game in the 40th minute with an apparent calf injury.

--Midfielder Chris Williams served the second game of his two-game suspension after receiving a red card against Portland. Ironically, Williams will be eligible to play next week against the Timbers.

--Vancouver defender Marco Reda, who played for the Battery last season, entered the game against his old team in the 79th minute.