BY KEITH NAMM
Of The Post and Courier staff
BATTERY 4, METROSTARS 1
For the second time in three years, the Battery has sent a team from Major League Soccer to an early exit from the U.S. Open Cup.
A-League Charleston scored four consecutive goals to open the second half on the way to a stunning 4-1 second-round victory over MLS' MetroStars at Blackbaud Stadium on Wednesday night.
Defender Gilbert Jean-Baptiste's 47th-minute strike got it started, and Paul Conway, Brian Piesner and Mac Cozier all scored between the 70th and 79th minutes to add vocal fuel to an already noisy crowd of 4,097.
"At halftime, we said if we could get our nose in front, they would find it hard to come back," Battery coach Alan Dicks said. "Our midfield did a great job. They had to do a lot of ceaseless, unselfish running in the first half. The defenders did an excellent job along with the midfield in containing their threats."
Injury-troubled New York/New Jersey avoided the shutout on defender Daniel Hernandez's free kick in the 90th minute.
Charleston advances to the tournament's round of 16 and will face MLS' New England Revolution on July 11 at a site to be determined. The Revolution hammered the USL amateur Mid-Michigan Bucks, 7-1, on Wednesday night at Foxboro, Mass.
Two years ago, the Battery upset MLS' D.C. United, 4-3, in overtime here en route to the Open Cup semifinals.
In the first half Wednesday, the Battery made sure it had numbers back to keep the skillful and talented MetroStars' opportunities at goal to a minimum.
In the second half, Dicks said his team made up its mind to attack.
Jean-Baptiste collected a clearance in the MetroStars' half before making it 1-0. He carried it up the right side and avoided a defender before driving a shot inside the far post out of the reach of goalkeeper Tim Howard, the 2000 U.S. Olympic keeper.
"We got behind the ball and we countered, and the chances we had, we put them in," Jean-Baptiste said.
MetroStars coach Octavio Zambrano, whose team is 0-4-2 in its last six MLS games, said the Battery's game plan was typical of games between teams from different divisions.
"They were looking for that one goal and knew after that we would have to commit ourselves more to scoring and, unfortunately, we got caught a couple more times in their counterattack," Zambrano said. "They caught us in a desperate mode, trying to get the equalizer."
Conway, the A-League's leading scorer, scored 20 minutes from time off a combination with midfielder John Ball for a 2-0 lead. Ball eluded his man about 25 yards out on the right side before passing ahead to forward Conway, who faked to his right foot before lining home a shot with his left.
Piesner, a midfielder, scored in the 77th minute, dribbling upfield before sliding between defenders Steve Jolley and Hernandez and scoring high inside the post.
Goalkeeper Dusty Hudock, credited with five saves including a big tip of a long Tab Ramos shot, said Piesner's contributions were crucial to the victory.
"He got us flying tonight. We got lots of space up the left and got us going brilliantly," Hudock said.
"We started playing well in the first half and we didn't let up. It's not a fluke to win 4-1."
Battery forward Mac Cozier, who missed a golden scoring chance off a Jon Akin pass during the first half, capped Charleston's scoring in the 79th minute.
Defender John Wilson played a ball into space and a wide-open Cozier scored with his left foot.
Not long before the game, Zambrano learned that his injured list had grown to include Rodrigo Faria, the team's No. 2 scorer.
Already among those out was top scorer Clint Mathis, the former USC Gamecock who also was starring for the U.S. national team.
"It's been incredible. We haven't had any breaks," said Zambrano, who had just three players on his bench, including one-time Battery keeper Paul Grafer. "It seems like a player goes down every week."
The Central Conference-leading Battery (7-4-1 A-League) returns to league play with two conference matches in the next week: Saturday night at the Cincinnati Riverhawks and at home Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. against the Indiana Blast.
N.Y./N.J. MetroStars 0 1-1
Charleston Battery 0 4-4
Scoring summary: Chs, Jean-Baptiste 47th minute (unassisted); Chs, Conway 70th (Ball); Chs, Piesner 77th (unassisted); Chs, Cozier 79th (Wilson); N.Y./N.J., Hernandez 90th (unassisted).
Shots: MetroStars 10, Battery 16; Saves: MetroStars, Howard 5; Battery, Hudock 5; Fouls: MetroStars 14, Battery 15; Offsides: MetroStars 2, Battery 4; Corner Kicks: MetroStars 6, Battery 3; Cautions: MetroStars 2 (Walsh 52nd, Petke 69th); Battery 2 (Wilson 25th, Akin 32nd). A: 4,097.
