Milwaukee snap Battery undefeated streak

Photos and match report by Mike Buytas, a-league.com Match Reporter

6.Jul.2002

In front of a crowd of 3,964 at Blackbaud stadium, Rampage forward John Wolyniec received a long ball out of the back, beat a defender, and then Battery back-up keeper Todd

Hoffard in the 58th minute for the only goal of the night.

Both sides seemed evenly matched with the Battery perhaps just having the edge through the first half. Milwaukee had the first real scoring chance of the night with a ball ricocheting off the crossbar in the 17th minute but newly signed Jake Edwards countered the next minute and had a shot tipped over by the Rampage keeper.

The second half was nearly a repeat of the first, two strong defensive sides trying to find something through the middle or down the wings and when that fails, go for the ole long ball. The crowd really got behind the Battery, especially the large Hispanic contingent in the East stands, when the match turned a bit chippy. Referee Ali Saheli handed out four yellow cards to the Rampage in the remaining 20 or so minutes of the match. Of course, the ref. seemed to call every little bump (35 fouls in the game) on the players, which became frustrating for me personally.

In the end, I feel Milwaukee played well defensively and even though I want Charleston to win every match, I don't begrudge the Rampage the victory.

And just when we thought everyone was getting better, Charleston's injury woes were compounded early in the game when Morgan Zeba went off in the 32nd minute and Matt Farris came off in the 44th minute. After the match, Zeba said that his leg had been feeling a little tight and he came off because it seemed to be worsening. He didn't think it was serious and hopes he'll be ready in a couple of days. While I didn't talk to Matt, he seemed to be holding his lower back or hip and definitely was walking around gingerly at the Three Lions Pub after the match.

It would be nice for Coach Ramsey to be able to have a full squad available to him. It's a credit to his coaching ability to be able to put players in at positions they normally don't play and create a team that has gone undefeated for as long as they have, especially after having played six matches in two weeks, a demanding schedule to say the least.

Also, kudos go to the four Minnesota fans that flew down to the match to see Morgan Zeba and to root for Charleston against their division rivals. Sorry we didn't help you out but hope you enjoyed your stay.

The Battery now has a road match against the Richmond Kickers on Wed., July 10th and then a week off before the July 17th U.S. Open Cup match against the Colorado Rapids