The Charleston Battery claimed a 2-1 victory the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday at Patriots Point. Goals from Cal Jennings and MD Myers powered Charleston past Tampa Bay for the Lowcountry club’s second win of 2025. Myers, the birthday boy, came off the bench and scored what proved to be the match-winning goal in the 73rd minute.
Charleston and Tampa Bay were off to a heated start in the warm afternoon sun, as the nature of the rivalry between the clubs was in full force. There were some feisty moments early on involving Johnny Klein an Houssou Landry and the Rowdies players after they stood their ground after Tampa Bay’s pressure.
The first dangerous chance came in the 9th minute when Tampa Bay’s Ollie Bassett’s shot from distance was saved by goalkeeper Luis Zamudio, but it was the follow-up that nearly spelled disaster for Charleston. Zamudio’s initial save wasn’t fully secured and Manuel Artega ran in to knock the ball in, however, Zamudio recovered in time to stop the chance.
Charleston began to find more of a footing as the half wore on, winning the ball back in Tampa Bay’s half and creating chances. The Rowdies’ defense stayed firm to keep Charleston off the board, with goalkeeper Nicolas Campisi making three saves in the first half.
On the other end, Chris Allan made a decisive intervention in the 37th minute to intercept a threatening cross and then clear out the ball.
Charleston found a golden opportunity to break open the game in the 45th minute, when Houssou was taken down in the box by Blake Bodily, earning the Battery a penalty.
Cal Jennings stepped up to the spot and converted to give Charleston a 1-0 lead in the 46th minute, burying his shot inside the left post and outside the reach of Campisi. Some words were exchanged between Jennings and members of his former club after the goal.
Jennings’ strike brings his goal total to four on the year, his third consecutive game finding the back of the net.
The goal also put Jennings into a tie for the lead in the Golden Boot race with Loudoun United FC’s Abdellatif Aboukoura, as of writing.
Charleston took the 1-0 lead into the break. Both sides recorded five shots in the first half, but the Battery had four on target to the Rowdies’ two.
Play resumed for the second half with Charleston applying the same pressure they did in the latter stages of the first half. The Battery earned two corner kicks in the opening minutes of the second half but were unable to score on either.
Leland Archer came up big inside the 18-yard box with a crucial slide to block a cross toward goal in the 54th minute.
Charleston almost doubled their lead in the 57th minute when Aaron Molloy stole the ball in Tampa Bay’s defensive third for a clean shot on goal. However, Molloy’s attempt curled away from the frame.
MD Myers, celebrating his 24th birthday, entered the match off the bench in the 69th minute, marking his first appearance of the season. Myers almost immediately scored with his first touch of the game but his shot dragged fractionally wide of the far post.
The birthday boy would not be denied, however, and Myers scored in the 73rd minute with a header from inside the box to give the Battery a 2-0 lead. Chris Allan played a perfect cross from roughly 25 yards out to Myers, who then guided the ball to the far side of the goal.
The goal and assist were the first for Myers and Allan this season, respectively.
Tampa Bay managed to pull one back quickly when Woobens Pacius scored in the 75th minute to make the score 2-1.
Myers appeared to have scored again in the 77th minute with a sublime finish off a cross by Houssou, but the referee’s flag was raised for offside to chalk off the tally.
As the game neared the final stages, the Battery’s grip on the three points tightened. Charleston held Tampa Bay without a shot in the last 15 minutes of the game following the visitors’ lone goal.
Charleston secured the 2-1 victory at Patriots Point, an important bounce-back performance to kick off the club’s April homestand. The win improved the Battery’s record to 2W-2L-0D (6pts).
Jennings’ goal was the 69th in the USL Championship regular season of his career, which moved him to 10th all-time in the league’s history.
Emilio Ycaza turned in a productive game in the midfield, with match-highs in duels won (eight) and recoveries (seven).
The win gives Charleston a leg up in the No Quarter Derby, the supporter-led rivalry that is contested over the two regular season matches. Charleston are three-time defending winners of the derby.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann, Cal Jennings and MD Myers discussed the win after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.
