ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Charleston Battery sank the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a dominant 1-3 road win on Saturday at Al Lang Stadium. Cal Jennings opened the scoring in the 7th minute from the penalty spot, and MD Myers’ brace in the first half lifted Charleston past their Florida rivals. The win marked the Battery’s fifth in a row in USL Championship play, a streak that started with Charleston’s April 5 win over the Rowdies in the reverse fixture.
The Battery secured their fourth consecutive win in the No Quarter Derby (2022-25), the supporter-led contest between Charleston and Tampa Bay, where the winner is decided after both regular season matches are played.
The derby was off to a fast start in St. Petersburg. Goalkeeper Luis Zamudio made his first save in just the 3rd minute, denying Leo Fernandes from inside the box.
Charleston’s early pressure paid dividends when Arturo Rodriguez was taken down in the box by Lawrence Wyke in the 6th minute, awarding the Battery a penalty.
Cal Jennings stepped up to the spot and buried the spot attempt to the left side to give the Battery a 0-1 lead. Jennings beat goalkeeper Nico Campisi to the side Campisi guessed, which was also the same side as the penalty converted in the April 5 meeting.
The goal was Jennings’ seventh of the year and extended his streak of league games with a goal contribution to seven games.
Charleston continued to pin Tampa Bay back after the opening goal, searching for another tally.
The Battery doubled their lead in the 19th minute when MD Myers finished off a pass from Jennings and delivered a clinical strike from inside the box to the far post. The play began with a long ball over the top by Zamudio that Tampa Bay were unable to handle. Jennings collected the loose ball and found Myers, who had plenty of space to strike.
The goal and assist were the seventh and second for Myers and Jennings, respectively.
Charleston did not have to wait long before being able to add to their advantage.
Arturo Rodriguez fired a shot from the edge of the box that was saved by Campisi, but spilled it right in front of Myers. The striker took a touch before slotting the ball into the net, putting Charleston ahead 0-3 in the 28th minute.
The goal was Myers’ eighth of the year across all competitions and his fifth of the league campaign.
Zamudio came up big in the 36th minute with a clutch double save from inside the six-yard box, denying Fernandes and Manuel Arteaga. The shot-stopper made four saves in the first half.
Rodriguez made a clutch save in the 40th minute with a clearance off the line on Wyke’s shot following the corner kick.
Charleston took the 0-3 lead into the break after a clinical first 45 minutes.
Play resumed in the second half with the Battery aiming to add to their lead early. Juan David Torres attempted to capitalize on the rain-soaked conditions that overcame the stadium with a shot from a free-kick in the 47th minute, his strike skipped off the surface but was saved.
Torres again fired a missile toward goal with a first-time strike in the 53rd minute that forced Campisi into another diving save. Charleston appeared to have added to their lead when Rodriguez slid in to.
The Rowdies began to find a footing in the latter stages of the second half. Zamudio was tested again in the 72nd minute to deny Ollie Bassett with a quick reflex save. Tampa Bay, however, would get on the board in the 77th minute via Woobens Pacius, spoiling the bid for a clean sheet.
Charleston again appeared to score a fourth goal in the 88th minute when Rubio Rubín slotted the ball home after a sublime Torres through ball, but Rubín was flagged for offside in his run.
From there, the Battery saw out the 1-3 road win over Tampa Bay for their fifth consecutive league victory. The result also completes a regular season sweep for the Battery over the Rowdies and another triumph in the No Quarter Derby.
The win advances Charleston’s record to 6W-2L-0D (18pts), placing them in third in the Eastern Conference standings but on level points with second-place Louisville.
As of writing, Jennings now leads the league in goal contributions with nine (seven goals, two assists). His seven tallies also put him into a four-way tie for the Championship Golden Boot.
Michael Edwards had another productive match in his second appearance with the Battery since joining on loan from the Colorado Rapids, leading the match with five clearances.
Rodriguez enjoyed a productive day in attack and led the game with five chances created, along with two successful dribbles, two accurate long balls and 89% passing accuracy.