Jeff Brown
IND vs CHS 07/04/2026 IUPUI Michael A. Carroll Stadium Indianapolis, IN Photo: Jeff Brown
INDIANAPOLIS – The Charleston Battery were defeated 2-0 by Indy Eleven on Independence Day at Carroll Stadium on Saturday. Charleston held their own against Indy until a Graham Smith red card in the second half altered the complexion of the game, with the hosts scoring twice while up a man. The result snaps the Battery’s three-game winning streak in league play.
Charleston and Indy kicked off amid pleasant and sunny conditions at Carroll Stadium, a stadium in which Indy are undefeated in the regular season this year.
With the start, Maalique Foster officially recorded his 150th appearance in the USL Championship regular season.
Goalkeeper Luis Zamudio had a crucial intervention in the 11th minute to deny Cam Lindley’s corner kick that was curling toward the goal, but Zamudio’s swipe neutralized the threat. Zamudio then made a big save in the 15th minute to stop Noble Okello’s strong shot from inside the box.
Charleston appeared to have pulled ahead in the 23rd minute when Colton Swan fired the ball into the net from inside the box, but the referee’s flag was raised for offside to chalk off the tally.
Indy were victims of the offside flag in stoppage time when Bruno Rendon’s apparent goal was also waived off.
The game went into the break tied at 0-0. Charleston outshot Indy, 10 to three, and held the majority of possession at roughly 66%.
Action picked up again in the second half with all still to play for in the Indiana capital.
Charleston’s attack was on the front foot out of the break with Miguel Berry, Colton Swan and Jeremy Kelly recording shots through the opening 15 minutes of the second stanza. However, none of the attempts made it past goalkeeper Eric Dick.
The Battery were reduced to 10 men in the 68th minute when Graham Smith was issued a straight red card for a last-man foul.
Indy managed to take a 1-0 lead in the 82nd minute via Josh O’Brien.
Charleston nearly equalized in the 86th minute when Nathan Messer’s free kick was met by Douglas Martinez for a header on target, but the shot was narrowly saved.
The hosts made it 2-0 in the 94th minute via Rendon.
Charleston’s 10-man side were defeated 2-0 by Indy, snapping their three-game winning streak in league play and the six-game undefeated run against the Indiana club.
The Battery’s record moves to 8W-5L-2D (26pts) following the result, placing them in second place in the Eastern Conference table, as of writing.
Charleston’s next home game will be on Sat., July 11, against the Charlotte Independence in the Prinx Tires USL Cup. Tickets for the match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups:
IND: Dick, Neidlinger, Rasheed, Barry, Quinn, Rendón, O’Brien, Lindley, Blake, Omar (Sharp, 65’), Okello (Mesanvi, 81’)
CHS: Zamudio, Messer, Akpunonu, Smith, Suber, Kelly (Kissiedou, 78’), Allan (Pakhomov, 59’), Ycaza, Foster (Cabrera, 78’), Swan (Martinez, 70’), Berry (Hughes, 78’)
Scoring Summary:
IND – Josh O’Brien, 82’ (Makel Rasheed)
IND – Bruno Rendón, 90’+4 (Jack Blake)