CHARLESTON, SC - The Charleston Battery (3-1-1) returns home to the friendly confines of beautiful Blackbaud Stadium on Saturday night as they entertain Atlantic Division rival Raleigh Express at 7:30pm. Looking to strengthen their position at the top of the Atlantic Division and keep their unbeaten 2000 home record in tact (2-0), Charleston are gunning to post their first win over Raleigh in two seasons. The Express have been the "boogie" team for the Battery lately, a streak that Charleston is looking to end here on Saturday night against a team that is 0-2-1 and in last place in the division.
In the first (last Friday in Raleigh) of five encounters in the 2000 season between the two Carolina A-League clubs, the Battery where in command early but let a 3-1 second half lead slip to a determined Express side. In an exciting end-to-end game, goal-starved fans in WRAL Stadium where treated to a feast of goal mouth incidents and action which included two penalty kicks in a six goal (3-3 tie) affair. Two former Battery players featured heavily in the game for the Express in the shape of ex-Cougar Chad Carithers and Eddie Rodriguez. Carithers was moved back into a more familiar attacking role for Raleigh in last Fridays game from a defensive role that new head coach John Dugan had employed for him and Rodriguez starred as the Express defensive "sweeper", scoring the equalizer in the 73rd minute with a rifle of a penalty kick. Playing with inspiration against his former team mates, the former College of Charleston All American Carithers fired a couple of long range missiles that scorched past Battery keeper Dusty Hudocks post. Also playing for the Express was two other players with regional ties in former University of South Carolina Gamecock standouts defender Chris Mormon and midfielder Ryan O'Neill. O'Neill broke the Battery deadlock right before half time with a well taken volley from a Matt Farris cross, sending the teams to the locker rooms at the break all level at 1-1.
Battery midfielder Dean Sewell scored two superb goals for Charleston and troubled the Raleigh flank men all night with his pace, and 1999 leading goal scorer Paul Conway opened his account for the 2000 season with a well struck penalty kick in the 63rd minute. Battery keeper Dusty Hudock and his wife Darla had celebrated the birth of his first child with the arrival of Liam Michael Hudock the night before the game. Hudock was wisked back to Charleston en route to Raleigh with the team upon the news that his wife Darla had gone into labor, and re-joined the team at the Raleigh hotel a few hours before the game.
Facing the Express this weekend is the daunting task of a tough back-to-back series with a Friday May 19 home game versus 4-0 Central Division leading and reigning A-League Champion Minnesota Thunder before the trip to the low country and the date versus the Battery on Saturday. The Express will be looking to pull themselves out of the bottom spot of the Atlantic Division against a Battery side that is getting closer to being at full strength with the expected home debut of 1999 first team All A-League forward Mac Cozier and the return of 1998 MVP Todd Miller. Both players spent productive minutes in the Battery line-up over the back-to-back road weekend and are available for the Saturday rematch. Cozier scored 13 goals in 1999 for the Jacksonville Cyclones and has looked sharp this week in practice. Miller is nursing a frustrating calf strain but has been cleared to play on Saturday. A Battery win at Blackbaud Stadium on Saturday night in front of the Charleston faithfull will keep the 2000 season home win streak alive and will keep the Battery in the mix at the top of the Atlantic Division standings. The game will be a preview of the May 27 match that doubles for the final A-League US Open Cup qualifying Group 5 game in which Charleston needs just one point to earn a spot in the Lamar Hunt tournament for the second straight year.
Battery Team News: 1999 first team All A-League forward Mac Cozier is expected to make his home debut on Saturday night. Battery defender Brent Sancho will miss the game due to National Team duty for Trinidad and Tobago in the second leg of the final round of pre-qualifying versus Haiti for the CONCACAF Region World Cup qualifying tournament. Trinidad hold the advantage over Haiti compliments of the 3-1 home victory in the home and home series first leg in Port-of-Spain but travel to Port-au-Prince for the second leg. The winner of the series will earn a spot in the qualifying group featuring World power Mexico, 2000 Gold Cup Champs Canada and either El Salvador or Honduras.
Saturday May 17. 7:30pm. Blackbaud Stadium.
Charleston Battery (3-1-1) V Raleigh Express (0-2-1).
A-League Atlantic Division regular season action.
Battery Practice Schedule:
Thursday May 18: 10:00am-11:30am:Battery Training Ground, Daniel Island
Friday May 19: 6:00pm- 7:00pm:Blackbaud Stadium.
Tickets are available in Advance by calling 971-4625 or at Lloyds Sports in Mt. Pleasant.
The Blackbaud Stadium West Stand box office is open on Saturday for advance purchases.
