Sometimes the better team on paper doesn’t always win. I guess that’s one reason most of us love soccer, because on any given day, any team can come in and win, regardless of what the stat sheet reads.
At least that seemed to be the story on Saturday night when the Charleston Battery was defeated by the visiting Indian Blast 3-2 at Blackbaud Stadium. After out shooting the Blast 26 shots to 7 and maintaining possession for most the second half, the Battery loss in the last seconds of the match.
Indiana came out hard and ready to play, quickly putting the pressure on the Battery and were rewarded with a 12th min goal by forward Rodrigo Costa. The Battery soon regained their composure and put their own pressure on the Blast defense but in a turn of play, the Blast scored a second goal right before the half. Costa had a nice strike from the top corner of the 18 yard box which keeper Dusty Hudock seemed to have covered, but the ball slipped through his hands in into the net giving the Blast a 2-0 lead.
Battery coach Alan Dicks must have had some words of encouragement to the boys because after half they came out immediately to pressure the Indiana defense. With starting forward and leading scorer Paul Conway ineligible to play due to a red card suspension, the Battery knocked on the door several times and but couldn’t find a way into the net until in the 77th minute when Jon Akin found the back of the net assisted by John Ball.
The Battery then commanded the game and continued to create scoring chances putting the entire Blast team on defense. The Battery equalized in the 88th minute with the goal coming from midfielder Matt Farris. As the forth official signaled three minutes of added time, the Battery was caught napping and Blast defender Dwayne Demmin scored the winning goal.
With the win, the Indiana improved its record to 3-4-0 while the Battery fell to 6-4-1.
Indiana Blast:
David Winner, Vorgen Less (Casey Sweeny 73 min.) , Dwayne Demmin, Mark Allen (Andy Parrish 88 min.), Jeremy Aldrich, Kevin Knott, Dustin Ottesen, Craig Donaldson (James Prosser 82 mi.), Godfrey Tenoff, Rodrigo Costa, Jeff Dresser (Steve Weiger 77 min.)
Charleston Battery:
Dusty Hudock, Gilbert Jean-Baptiste, Dan Calichman, John Wilson, Ryan Trout Judah Cooks 70 min.), John Ball, Jukka Rantala, Matt Farris, Brian Piesner (Darren Warham 70 min.), Jon Akin, Mac Cozier
Scoring Summary:
IND Costa 12
IND Costa 45
CHL Akin 77
CHL Farris 88
IND Demmin 90
Shots: CHL 26 IND 7, Saves: CHL 2 IND 5, Fouls: CHL 19 IND 14 Offsides: CHL 2 IND 1 Corners: CHL 12 IND 3
Cautions: IND Allen 23 min.
CHL Ball 80 min.
Referee: Andrew Barnes Referee Assistants: Chris Sculthorpe, Robert Poyer
Weather: Hot and Humid Attendance: 2949
