In a match that could have been best described as a catch as catch can affair the visiting Virginia Beach Mariners lost a lead in second half stoppage time to a battling Charleston Battery side. For the most part these two teams spent a lot of time waiting on one another to lose the ball in a midfield dogfight where the order of the day was tough tackling, not so timely passes, and the odd poor touch. Neither team will look back at this match as a shining example of the very best of USL soccer as they look to close the book on this one and move ahead to their next match.
The Battery once again had more of the possession but were stymied in the offensive third. Despite a few early chances, one in which Andres Perez and Greg Simmonds could not quite connect, it was the Mariners who struck first. A poor pass from the defense left Chris Doyle stranded in the 30th minute leaving David Castellanos a fairly easy finish. Castellanos endeared himself to fans in the East Stands at Blackbaud Stadium by giving them a close up view of his brand new jersey. No doubt his mother is very proud.
At any rate, the game then disintegrated into what could best be described as a midfield slog with any forays into the opposing end resulting in throw ins or otherwise wasted opportunities. A veritable laundry list of players helped mire the game as Steve Shak, Jeff Bilyk, the Mariners' defenders, a couple Virginia Beach trainers and coaches, Justin Evans, Josh Smith, Andres Perez, and Kevin Jackson bounced the ball amongst themselves with neither side truly gaining an advantage.
This kind of midfield war went on for the next 60 minutes, until Mike Anheuser's substitutions finally showed a bit of a spark over the final ten minutes. New acquisition, Lazo Alavanja, joined Alon Lubezky and Chris Goos in helping Jackson, Evans, Alan Woods, and Simmonds finally root out some holes in the staunch Virginia Beach defense. It seemed only a matter of time until the equalizer found its way into the back of the net for Charleston. Luckily, the man in the middle had deemed just enough stoppage time for the Battery to gain their first point of the season as Alon Lubezky capped a fine move from Tim Karalexis and Woods. The goal resulted in an interesting rendition of "Alon Nagila" from some fans, a song hopefully heard more for Lubezky and the Battery as this season rolls on.
Upcoming matches:
Charleston Battery - Saturday, 4/30 @ Atlanta
Virginia Beach Mariners - Sunday, 5/1 vs. Toronto
Scoring Summary Goal (Assist) Minute
Va Beach Mariners Castellenos 30
Charleston Battery Lubezky (Woods) 90
Team Summary
Charleston Battery
Player Ratings:
Chris Doyle 5.5, Jason Kutney 5 [YC], Alan Woods 6.5, Tim Karalexis 6, Ted Chronopoulos 6.5 [YC], Josh Smith 5 (Lazo Alavanja 78 5.5), Kevin Jackson 5 (Ben Hollingsworth 78 5), Justin Evans 5.5, Andres Perez 5 (Chris Goos 60 5.5 [YC]), Jesus Martinez 4.5 (Alon Lubezky 60 6 [YC]), Greg Simmonds 5.5
Players Not Used - Michael Behonick, Drew Cavanagh, Gabe Bernstein
Team Summary
Virginia Beach Mariners
Player Ratings:
Matt Nelson 5.5, Steve Danbusky 6 [YC], Joe Morelli 6, Russ Hutchinson 6, Justin Thompson 5 (Tim Oneil 57 5), Jeff Bilyk 6, Darren Caskey 6.5 [YC], Teafore Bennett 5.5 [YC] (Jacob Fenger 60 5), Steve Shak 5.5, Hamisi Dove 6.5 (Jose Gomez 71 5), Dave Castellanos 6 [YC]
Players Not Used - Dan Benton, Josh Nolz, Warren Ukah, Kevon Harris
Charleston Battery Man of the Match: Alan Woods
Virginia Beach Mariners Man of the Match: Darren Caskey
*YC - Yellow Card
