Sudden Impact: Battery out

This wasn't the way the season was supposed to end for the Charleston Battery.

Tony Donatelli and Nevio Pizzolito each scored for Montreal as the Impact defeated the Charleston Battery, 2-1, on Sunday night in the second game of their USL First Division series before a crowd of 1,453 at Blackbaud Stadium.

The Impact, which beat the Battery, 2-0, Thursday in Game 1 of the two-game series, will take on Puerto Rico, which eliminated Rochester, in the USL First Division semifinals beginning later this week.

It was a disappointing and early end to what had started out to be a promising season for the Battery. Charleston was in first place for almost a month during the regular season, but for the second straight year was bounced out of the playoffs in the opening round.

"I feel like when we're healthy we've got the best starting eleven in the league," said midfielder Stephen Armstrong. "We proved that during the regular season. I wasn't ready for the season to end, so I don't think this will sink in for a couple of days."

Essentially trailing by two goals going into the match, the Battery was forced to pressure the Impact for 90 minutes.

"Our guys are shattered right now," Anhaeuser said. "You can't blame

their effort because we chased (Montreal) around the field all night. We knew what we had to do coming into the match. We tried to open things up a little bit and I thought we did for about 30 to 40 minutes. But in the end Montreal was able to possess the ball too much at the end of the second half."

The Battery made things interesting very early when Ian Fuller's header found the back of the net on a set piece in the 16th minute.

After a Tsuyoshi Yoshitake drew a yellow card on Montreal defender Stephen DeRoux for a hard challenge, the Battery was awarded a free kick from about 30 yards out near the right sideline.

Armstrong sent a bending cross into the six-yard box that Fuller snapped past Montreal keeper Matt Jordan for the score.

Any momentum the Battery gained from their early goal was quickly erased when Montreal answered in the 23rd minute on Nevio Pizzolito's header off a scramble in front of the net.

Montreal midfielder Leonardo DiLorenzo picked up a loose ball after a corner kick and served it to the back post to a wide open Roberto Brown. Brown's header ricocheted off the cross bar, but Pizzolito came storming in for the rebound and knocked into the net for the score.

"No question that hurt us," said Charleston defender Nelson Akwari. "It was a bad goal. We lost track of a guy in the box and they took advantage of it. Even though we gave that one up I didn't like the way we responded. We still had 75 minutes left in the match."

The Impact nearly took a lead during stoppage time at the end of the first half. After a turnover near midfield the Impact had a partial breakaway. Brown made a beautiful touch pass to Peter Byers just outside the 18-yard box. Byers took one dribbled and blasted a shot on net that Charleston keeper Chris McClellan deflected wide of the net.

The Battery had a couple of chances early in the second half as substitute Dan Antoniuk had three shots during a 10-minute stretch.

With the Battery playing with just three defenders, the Impact finally put the game and the series away when Tony Donatelli scored in the 75th minute.