The Charleston Battery secured a thrilling 3-2 comeback victory over Birmingham Legion FC at Patriots Point on Saturday. After being dealt a 0-2 deficit in the first half, the Battery rallied on goals from Colton Swan and Emilio Ycaza, with Ycaza’s brace occurring in the final 20 minutes of the match. It marks back-to-back wins for Charleston in the first two games of the league campaign.
Play kicked off at Patriots Point under perfect weather and clear skies.
Both sides came out of the gate up tempo, Jeremy Kelly recording the first shot in the 10th minute, a strong attempt from distance that went just over the bar. On the other end, Sean Suber made a crucial intervention in the 20th minute to cut off a dangerous cross into the box by the visitors.
Birmingham managed to open the scoring with two goals in quick succession, first by Romario Williams in the 25th minute and second by Samuel Shashoua in the 27th minute, to go up 0-2.
Charleston were forced into an early personnel change in the 37th minute when Douglas Martinez was involved in a head-on collision and replaced by Kirill Pakhomov, credited as a concussion substitution.
The Battery began to reapply pressure in the waning stages of the half, with on-target attempts by Wilmer Cabrera and Laurent Kissiedou that nearly got the hosts on the board but were saved.
Birmingham took the 0-2 lead into the break, despite Charleston outshooting the visitors by a margin of 10 to six.
Play resumed in the second half with Charleston searching for a way back into the match.
After renewed waves of pressure early on, halftime substitute Colton Swan got the Battery on the board in the 58th minute to cut the score to 1-2. Nathan Messer initiated the sequence from the left flank with a cross into the area, where Miguel Berry met it at the back post and volleyed it on frame. Birmingham goalkeeper Jassem Koleilat made the save, but Swan reacted instantly, pouncing on the rebound and knocking the ball into the net.
The goal was Swan’s first in league play, and his third of the season across all competitions after notching a brace in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday.
In the 65th minute, Charleston came inches from finding the equalizer. Berry led a fast break upfield before playing it wide to Messer, who quickly delivered a cross back into the box. Maalique Foster met it with a strong run at the back post, but his close-range effort was stopped by a goal-line denial from Birmingham.
The next decisive moment of the half came when Charleston were awarded a penalty in the 78th minute after Berry was brought down in the box by Phanuel Kavita.
Emilio Ycaza stepped up and converted in the 80th minute to level the score at 2-2, confidently driving it down the middle with roughly 10 minutes left to play.
The equalizer marked Ycaza’s first goal of the 2026 season.
After leveling the terms, Charleston’s pressure ramped up further in search of a winner. Foster delivered a dangerous cross into the box minutes after the second goal, which Swan met with a quick attempt on target, but Koleilat came up with the save.
At the other end, Luis Zamudio delivered a crucial stop in the 87th minute, denying Sebastian Tregarthen to keep the score at 2-2.
Charleston’s golden moment came in the 93rd minute when Ycaza knocked home the go-ahead goal, giving the Battery a late 3-2 lead. Messer again provided dangerous service from a corner kick that was punched away by Koleilat, but the clearance fell to Joey Akpunonu, who headed it back toward goal. Ycaza was there to finish it with a quick backheel, all but completing the dramatic comeback for the Battery.
The eventual match-winner secured the brace for Ycaza, and Akpunonu’s assist was his first of the year.
Another notable moment for the Battery arrived near the end of stoppage when Kruz Held made his professional debut off the bench at 17 years, eight months and 28 days old.
Charleston secured the 3-2 victory over Birmingham for their second league win of the campaign, improving their record to 2W-0L-0D (6pts), good for fourth in the Eastern Conference table.
Charleston are set to hit the road for their next four matches: Detroit City FC (March 28), Charlotte Independence (March 31), Louisville City FC (April 4), 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:
CHS: Zamudio, Messer, Smith (Swan, 46’), Akpunonu, Martínez (Pakhomov, 37’), Suber, Houssou (Blackstock, 53’), Kelly (Held, 90’+7), Kissiedou (Ycaza, 46’), Cabrera (Foster, 59’), Berry
BHM: Koleilat, Hamouda, Washington (Kavita, 36’), Daley, McCartney, Ngoma (Cole, 46’), Shashoua, Antwi (Tregarthen, 84’), Pasher (Vassell, 88’), Diarbian (Saucedo, 88’), Williams (McIllhatton, 61’)
Scoring Summary:
BHM – Romario Williams, 25’
BHM – Samuel Shashoua, 27’
CHS – Colton Swan, 57’
CHS – Emilio Ycaza, 80’ (Penalty)
CHS – Emilio Ycaza, 90’+3 (Joey Akpunonu)