BAYAMON, PR - The Puerto Rico Islanders could not repeat the favorable result achieved on Saturday and had to settle for a scoreless tie against the Charleston Battery in Sunday's 2006 USL-1 match played at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium in front of 4,395 fans.
Both teams played a physical, tight, competitive match. Their defenders were solid throughout, neutralizing the opponents' attacks. Marco Vélez and Mauricio Segovia, the Islanders' pair of central defenders, controlled the Battery offense led on Sunday by striker Teba McKnight.
McKnight was pretty much the Battery offense, with almost all of his team's chances coming from him. In the 51st minute he came closest to scoring, but Islander goalkeeper Dan Kennedy responded with a nice save on a critical one-on-one situation.
Charleston, meanwhile, had learned their lesson from Saturday. This time defender Chris Corcovan marked Islander star Petter Villegas very tightly all 90 minutes. Villegas had the whole right flank for him during Saturday's match.
The Battery as a whole went into total defensive mode in the second half and withstood the ever increasing pressure from the Puerto Rico Islanders, but the home squad was at least able to strike fear into the hearts of the visitors. The Islanders had many chances to take away the match but luck was not on their side this time around.
In the 53rd minute Gustavo Barros Schelotto barely missed from near the penalty spot after a great cross by Villegas. Then, in the 72nd, Villegas himself sent a powerful cannonball from just outside the box, yet Battery goalie Dusty Hudock somehow was able to make the save.
The pressure mounted, as Villegas, Schelotto, and Joshua Caleb Norkus continually invaded the Battery area, but a series of unfortunate slips on the humid turf and lack of luck towards goal denied the home squad.
The Puerto Rico Islanders get back in action this coming weekend with two more home games at Juan Ramón Loubriel Stadium. On June 16 the Seattle Sounders visit the Islanders on an 8:00 p.m. kick-off, while the Toronto Lynx will be the opponent in the match to be played on June 18, at 5:00 p.m.
