Battery in deep playoff hole after 2-0 defeat

MONTREAL -- The Battery dropped its opening match in the USL First Division soccer playoffs, yielding a goal in each half in a 2-0 loss to the Montreal Impact before 11,282 at Saputo Stadium on Thursday night.

Charleston, seeded fourth in the playoffs, hosts the fifth-seeded Impact in the second of the two-match, first-round playoff series Sunday at 7 p.m. at Blackbaud Stadium. David Testo and Rocco Placentino scored the Impact goals in the 10th and 88th minutes, respectively.

The series is decided by the aggregate

score, meaning the Battery must beat Montreal by at least two goals at home on Daniel Island to stay alive.

The Battery (14-5-11 regular season) played the entire second half a man short after defender Matt Bobo was sent off just before halftime. Bobo will serve a one-game suspension and misses Sunday's match.

Montreal, which finished 12-11-7, broke on top in the 10th minute after winning the ball just inside the Battery half. Testo, a midfielder, received the ball from Joey Gjertsen, took the ball forward and then hit a dipping shot from distance that just slipped past Battery goalkeeper Keith Wiggans inside the far post.

Charleston's best chance of the first half came in the 26th minute from a free kick. The ball was played into the middle, then redirected back across goal to forward Darren Spicer at the back post. Spicer elected to volley, but his first-time effort looped over the bar.

The momentum swung in Montreal's favor just before halftime when Bobo was shown a red card. Bobo had received a yellow card early in the game and received a second as he tangled with Montreal forward Peter Byers in the 45th minute.

Playing with a man advantage Montreal, pushed forward as the Battery tried to withstand the tide of Montreal chances. The Impact came close in the 53rd minute as Wiggans was forced to make a save following a strike by forward Roberto Brown.

Charleston almost replied just before the 60-minute mark, as midfielder Scott Buete pounced on a loose ball just outside the box. Buete fired a left-footed attempt at goal, but the ball swerved into the side netting.

In the 80th minute Wiggans again made a save after the ball ricocheted to substitute forward Eduardo Sebrango inside the 6-yard box. Sebrango couldn't quite get his shot away in time, allowing Wiggans to fall on the ball.

Montreal's pressure finally paid off in the 88th minute after Sebrango picked out Placentino, a substitute midfielder, on the left side of the box. Placentino drilled a shot off the underside of the cross-bar to give the Impact a 2-0 lead.

The winner advances to the semifinals, where two other quarterfinal series winners will join top-seeded Portland, which had an opening-round bye.