MATTHEWS, N.C. – The Charleston Battery were dealt a 3-2 road defeat against Charlotte Independence in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday at the Sportsplex at Matthews. After going down 2-0 in the second half, Charleston stormed back on goals by Houssou Landry and Maalique Foster, both assisted by Jeremy Kelly. However, Kelly was shown a red card and the 10-man squad eventually fell to Charlotte after the hosts scored in the 118th minute of stoppage time, knocking out the Battery.
Charleston came out of the gates hungry, controlling 82% of possession in the opening five minutes. Laurent Kissiedou recorded the Battery’s first shot of the game in the 6th minute, a strong strike that went just wide of the post.
At the 20-minute mark, both sides were still searching for their first shots on target, with each team holding an Opta xG (Expected Goals) rating of just 0.02.
Charlotte managed to score first to take a 1-0 lead in the 37th minute via Souaibou Marou.
The hosts held their 1-0 lead into the break. Charleston recorded one shot in the first half compared to Charlotte’s two, though Charleston controlled 63% of the possession.
Play resumed in the second half with all still to play for, and with the Battery searching for a way back through.
Charlotte made it 2-0 in the 58th minute via Luis Álvarez.
The Battery, ramping up the pressure, nearly cut the deficit in the 68th minute when Emilio Ycaza’s cross hit off the post, but no one was home to knock in the ball.
Charleston’s pressure paid off in the 70th minute when Houssou Landry cut the score to 2-1. The threat was initiated by a brilliant ball from Jeremy Kelly, who switched the point of attack to Houssou, who then fired his shot past goalkeeper Giorgos Tasouris.
The goal and assist marked the first of the season for Houssou and Kelly, respectively.
With an equalizer in reach, the Battery’s offense began to overwhelm Charlotte’s defense. Houssou and Kelly nearly combined for another goal in the 76th minute, but Kelly’s first-time shot on Houssou’s pass was saved by Tasouris.
Maalique Foster, entering off the bench in the second half, provided the spark and the equalizer with a goal in the 77th minute, bringing the score to 2-2. Kelly again was central in the scoring moment, playing a perfect through ball to Foster’s perfectly timed run. Foster then beat Tasouris one-on-one to tap in the tally.
Foster notched his first goal of both the season and his U.S. Open Cup career, while Kelly recorded his second assist of the season and of the match.
The complexion of the game was changed in stoppage time of the second half when Kelly was shown his second yellow card of the evening, resulting in a red card and forcing the Battery to carry on with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
A breakthrough was not found in normal time, sending Charleston and Charlotte into extra time with the game tied at 2-2.
Charleston recorded a flurry of shots in the first period of extra time, however two were blocked and one was off target, and the game remained tied at 2-2 at the interval.
The Battery were on the front foot again in the second period of extra time, forcing two blocked shots in the 106th minute. Emilio Ycaza was narrowly off target with his header in the 107th minute.
Charlotte managed to score the go-ahead goal in the 118th minute by Viggo Ortiz to take a late 3-2 lead.
Despite the Battery’s late push for another leveler, Charlotte held on to secure the win and advance to the next round, spelling an end to Charleston’s journey in the U.S. Open Cup.
Charleston will continue to hit the road for their next two matches: Louisville City FC (April 4) and Brooklyn FC (April 11). The Battery’s next home game will be on Sat., April 18, against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on national television at Patriots Point. Tickets for the match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups:
CLT: Tasouris, Nare, Romero, Riascos, Dimick, Guffroy (Ortiz, 72’), Álvarez (Arango, 120’ +3’), Amaya, Martinez (Manin, 72’), Marou (Nyandjo, 56’)
CHS: Berner, Messer, Akpunonu, Suber (Smith, 72’), Blackstock (Ycaza, 61’), Kelly, Pakhomov, Houssou, Cabrera (Held, 112’), Kissiedou (Foster, 61’), Berry (Wayne, 96’)
Scoring Summary:
CLT – Souaibou Marou, 37’ (Luis Álvarez)
CLT - Luis Álvarez, 58’ (Enzo Martinez)
CHS - Houssou Landry, 70’ (Jeremy Kelly)
CHS - Maalique Foster, 77’ (Jeremy Kelly)
CLT - Viggo Ortiz, 118’ (Javen Romero)