It was simply a heartbreaker. That's all there is to it, as the Charleston Battery stole a win last Saturday night against the Atlanta Silverbacks in a game they didn't deserve to win. Atlanta outplayed Charleston for 90 minutes, and still went down 3-2 in Overtime. However, even though Atlanta came out of the match with no points, they certaintly left Charleston with respect from their opponents.
Atlanta came into Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston ready to win. They had a winning attitude coming in and a win could keep their dim hopes alive for catching Charleston in second place in the division and hosting a first round playoff game. Josh Henderson moved up front to take the place of superstar Patrick Beech who is out for the next 4-5 games with an injury. Meanwhile, Tony Soto stayed put at Center Back and Danny Care stayed in the Midfield. Hopes of a big road win looked doubtful in the 28th minute as Midfielder Braeden Cloutier smacked a volley passed outstretched David Winner (who has been recently signed for the rest of they year.) However, only a minute later, rookie Midfielder Brian Piesner scored his third goal in two games by sneaking a shot under Charleston keeper Dusty Huddock from the left side of the 6 yard box. The teams battled it out till halftime. The Silverbacks seemed to be extremely frustrated by a few calls by the referees and argued vigorously. Head Coach Nuno Pitiera supposedly got into an argument with a ref at the half. Then the unthinkable happened, just before the second half started, Pitiera was sent off the pitch. Most likely because of the argument, but why did the refs wait until the second half was about to begin before ejecting Pitiera? It was one of the many questionable moves the referees made during the game. The second half started with a bang in minute fifty as Battery Defender Dean Sewell missed a header just barely over the crossbar. Then only two minutes later, Silverbacks Forward Iggy Moleka was fouled about five yards outside of the box. It was ruled an in-direct kick and after Jacenir Silva lightly touched the ball forward, Danny Care hit a rifle into the corner of the net in what looked like one of the best Silverbacks goals of the season. The Charleston team and fans looked shocked as the Silverbacks got closer and closer to victory. David Winner made a diving save off a header in the 57th minute and then made his third of the game in the 61st. Iggy Moleka and Josh Henderson alternated throughout the remainder of the game as the lone Striker while the rest of the team stayed back on defense. In the 67th minute, Josh Henderson almost put the Silverbacks up by two goals. He put on a dribbling clinic just outside the 18' and got open for a shot that just missed the upper corner of the net. Charleston put some fresh legs up front in the 68th minute by substituting Mac Cozier for Velko Iotov. Rookier Brian Alvero entered in the Midfield one minute later, taking the place of Todd Miller, sensational Offensive Midfielder (and former Silverback) Temoc Suarez entered in the 71st minute in place of Ivailo Ilarionov. Seconds after entering the match, Suarez got a behind the Atlanta defense and dribbled inside the 18' and somehow missed the near post. As Charleston began to get desperate, the game became increasingly rough. However, chances were still aplenty for the Battery. In the 76th minute a cross from outside the 18' deflected off David Winner and right in front of the net where a Battery Forward somehow missed the open net. Then in the 77th minute, Forward Jon Akin entered for Defenfer Darren Warham in a substitute that signified absolute desperation from the Charleston side. Moments after Akin's entrance, David Winner made yet another magnificent save by tipping a ball over the net off a header. The Silverbacks bench looked to be in dis-array, the coaches weren't sure who to put in the game, and they desperately needed fresh legs in the back. As the Battery pushed forward on every attack as if it would be there last. But without Pitiera on the bench the acting coaches Mike Balson, Sean Cartmill (and others) couldn't decide on which substitutions to make. They finally made on in the 85th minute, taking Josh Henderson out. Then Zion Renfrum entered a minute later in the back for a worn out Jacenir Silva, who had nothing left. In that same minute, a Battery shot beat Winner and hit the top of the crossbar and bounced behind the net. Alex Bahr entered up front for Iggy Moleka and played as the lone Striker for the remainder of the match. Charleston ripped Atlanta's heart out in injury time, with only around 2 minutes of it left, David Winner made another save and the ball shot off his chest and right onto the top of the 6. A mob scene follows as at least 4 players scrambled to either get the ball out of the box or put it in the net. Somehow, Brian Alvero, a previous substitution managed to find an opening in the mob and nailed the ball into the corner. As Charleston celebrated the Silverbacks players were humiliated, knowing that 90 minutes of quality soccer wouldn't be enough to get the three points they so badly needed. Before OT, Jerome Samuels entered the match for Atlanta in place of Junuz Coralic. But Atlanta never had a chance after the late goal by Charleston, and only 52 seconds into the first OT Charleston netted the golden goal to win the match.
Overall, it was a very tough pill to swallow for Atlanta. But they have no reason to hang their heads. They played valiantly all match, dealed with a racious and rowdy crowd, disgraceful refereeing, and still almost got the win. Regardless of how many points Atlanta got Saturday, they showed heart and character that they can beat anyone in the A-League.
Men of the Match
It was just to hard decide. Brian Piesner dominated the first half, and keeper David Winner the second half. Piesner used his speed to his advantage and kept the Charleston defense on their toes all game. His runs up the wings helped the Silverbacks open things up in the middle of the field. Winner, meanwhile made great save after great save in the second half. None of the goals could be blamed on him, the Silverbacks are glad to have him Atlanta. And hopefully he will stay here for years to come.
