The Charleston Battery comfortably defeated Miami FC 2-0 on Friday at Patriots Point. Nick Markanich was the man of the night again with a pair of goals in the second half to secure all three points for the Battery, adding to his league-leading total of 18 goals. Charleston are now five games unbeaten.
Charleston and Miami kicked off without any delay and weathered the slick and rainy conditions that persisted throughout the night from the first whistle.
Juan David Torres was among the Battery’s most aggressive players on offense and recorded four shots in the first half (one on target).
The Battery were on the front foot throughout the first 45 minutes but were unable to find a breakthrough goal. MD Myers and Nick Markanich also had shots on target before the break.
The game went into halftime scoreless as the Battery held the lion’s share of possession (roughly 70%) and shots (11 to Miami’s four).
Charleston came out of the break eager to capitalize on the progress they made in the first half and made quick work to do so.
Nick Markanich scored the night’s opening goal in the 47th minute after brilliantly guiding a forward pass from Mark Segbers into the net. Segbers played the ball to Markanich and Nick’s glancing touch beat goalkeeper Daniel Gagliardi. The tally extended Markanich’s goalscoring streak to four games and the assist was Segbers’ third of the year.
Markanich wasn’t done there and was granted an opportunity for a brace just minutes later. Arturo Rodriguez won a penalty after being taken down in the box and Markanich was tabbed to take the spot attempt. The striker buried it to give the Battery a 2-0 lead in the 51st minute.
Markanich’s second goal was a historic one, as he set a new single-season club record for goals scored in the Battery’s USL Championship era (18). Markanich is closing in on the all-time club record of 24 goals scored in a single season, set by Battery legend Paul Conway in 2001.
His 18 goals place him firmly in first of the league’s Golden Boot race.
With a 2-0 lead, the Battery continued to apply pressure with their momentum to find another goal. Charleston sent in 12 shots in the second half, while Miami had not recorded a shot on target until the 81st minute, which drew a save from goalkeeper Adam Grinwis.
Another notable moment came in the 91st minute when Zeke Soto entered the match off the bench to make his Battery debut. The 17-year-old joined the club earlier in July and is a rising star in the U.S. youth national team setup.
Charleston saw out the 2-0 victory comfortably to extend their unbeaten run to five matches. It was also their first home win over Miami since 2021.
The victory advances the Battery’s record to 11W-2L-7D (40pts), placing them second in the league table and one point off pace of first.
Midfielder Chris Allan hit a milestone of his own tonight by playing in his 100th career USL Championship regular season match.
Forward Nick Markanich tallied his fourth multi-goal game of the year.
Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis recorded his eighth shutout of the season, adding to the Battery’s league-leading total of 11 clean sheets this season.
