By: Charleston Battery
The Charleston Battery earned a point against the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday in a 1-1 draw at Al Lang Stadium. Tampa Bay scored in the first half, but Charleston fought their way back into the game in the second half when Augustine Williams scored the equalizer. The Battery secured their first point against the Rowdies since 2020 in what was a continuation of strong performances for the Black and Yellow.
The action started at Al Lang Stadium with both teams taking their time to settle into the match. Tampa Bay made a number of advances into the Battery’s final third and Leland Archer handled the Rowdies with ease. The first real chance of the night came in the 10th minute when Jake LaCava struck the crossbar from inside the box. Both defenses held firm through the half-hour mark to keep their opposition in check.
Tampa Bay managed to get on the board first in the 34th minute via a strong shot by Leo Fernandes. Although Charleston's defense was well-positioned, the shot had enough pace to get past everyone and into the back of the net. While the Rowdies looked to build upon their momentum, the Battery would not give any ground. Tampa Bay were thought to have added a second goal in the 42nd minute, but the referee's flag was raised for offside in the build-up.
Goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux made a pair of strong saves in the final eight minutes of action to keep the scoreline at 1-0 heading into halftime.
Play resumed with the Battery pressing for a goal after registering just one shot in the first half. Matt Sheldon sent in a solid strike in the 56th minute from outside the box that went just wide of the goal.
Charleston scored the equalizer in the 63rd minute when Augustine Williams tallied his sixth goal of the season, assisted by Romario Piggott. The goal was the product of some brilliant passing inside Tampa Bay's half of the field, initiated by Mauro Cichero. Cichero played the ball to Andrew Booth and Booth then picked out Piggott with a pass over the top that the Panamanian midfielder redirected to Williams for the score.
With the terms level, both Charleston and Tampa Bay pushed hard for a go-ahead goal in the time that remained. LaCava threatened again in the 86th minute with a shot on target that forced Fauroux into making a diving save – he would have four saves in total. On the opposite end moments later, Booth eyed up a chance for a match-winning goal from inside the box, but his attempt was blocked by Aaron Guillen. In the 97th minute, defender Preston Kilwien, an ex-Rowdies U23 player, was called upon to make a crucial diving block against LaCava inside the block to preserve the 1-1 score.
Charleston held on to earn a point in the draw, extending the positive run of form with points secured against two of the top teams in the Eastern Conference (Pittsburgh and Tampa Bay).
