The Charleston Battery secured all three points in a dominant 4-0 win over Sporting Club Jacksonville at Patriots Point on Saturday. Colton Swan’s brace highlighted the complete team performance, and goals by Maalique Foster and Kirill Pakhomov, along with a shutout by Luis Zamudio, rounded out the evening. Charleston’s win over Jacksonville came in the first official meeting between the clubs.
After a day overflowing with rain in the Lowcountry, Charleston and Jacksonville kicked off amid cool and relatively calm conditions after the storms had passed.
Jeremy Kelly issued the first warning shots of the game with two attempts in the opening seven minutes as Charleston pushed aggressively into the final third.
The complexion of the game was changed in the 18th minute when Jacksonville’s Tyshawn Rose was shown a straight red card for a last-man foul against Maalique Foster. The infraction reduced the visitors to 10 men for the remainder of the evening.
After waves of pressure while up a man, the Battery broke the deadlock in the 28th minute on a header from Colton Swan to go up 1-0. Houssou Landry provided the service after some cheeky footwork to create space for a cross, and Swan was on target with his header inside the box.
The goal marked Swan’s fourth of the year across all competitions, and the assist was Houssou’s first.
Charleston maintained the momentum and did not have to wait long to add to their lead. This time, Maalique Foster fired a shot past goalkeeper Christian Olivares to put the Battery ahead 2-0 in the 32nd minute. It was a well-worked team goal that included touches from roughly half the squad in the build-up, before Kelly connected with Foster for the tally.
Foster’s goal was his second of the year across all competitions in Battery colors, and Kelly’s assist was his fourth of the year, the most on the team.
Kirill Pakhomov added his name to the scoresheet just 10 minutes later to elevate the Battery’s lead to 3-0 in the 42nd minute. Pakhomov put on a strong display to retain possession just outside the 18-yard box, and then unleashed a curler that banked off the post and went into the net.
It was the second goal of the season for the Russian rookie.
Charleston took the 3-0 lead into the break after taking full advantage of the one-man advantage. In the first half, the Battery outshot Jacksonville seven to one, and held roughly 71% possession.
Play resumed in the second half with the Battery looking to maintain their momentum from the first stanza.
Colton Swan notched his second goal of the night in the 64th minute, extending Charleston’s lead to 4-0. Nathan Messer delivered a pinpoint corner kick into the box to Swan, and the striker rose above the defense to send the header inside the near post.
Swan’s brace marked his first in USL Championship play this season and his second across all competitions, following a two-goal performance against Florida Badgers FC in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup in March.
Additionally, Swan extended his team lead to five goals across all competitions, and three in league play. Messer’s assist brings his team total to three, tying for the team lead alongside Kelly and Joey Akpunonu.
Messer notched his third assist of the season, joining Jeremy Kelly as tied for second in the USL Championship Golden Playmaker race.
Not slowing down, Charleston almost added a fifth goal via Wilmer Cabrera in the 79th minute, but his strike on target was saved off the crossbar by Olivares. Cabrera came close again in the 88th minute, but his shot was saved and rolled along the goal line and never crossed over.
Charleston secured the 4-0 shutout victory with a comprehensive performance against Jacksonville in the first official meeting between the sides.
The win advances the Battery’s record to 4W-3L-1D (13pts), moving them to fourth in the Eastern Conference table, as of writing.
Luis Zamudio enjoyed a relatively calm evening for his second clean sheet of the year, not needing to make any saves, while recording a perfect 22 of 22 passes and four of four long balls.
Maalique Foster turned in a productive day in attack, recording the Battery’s second goal and playing a key role in setting up the third goal.
Kirill Pakhomov was effective on both sides of the ball, scoring one goal and leading the team with 11 duels won and four tackles won.
Charleston will have a bye next week and then hit the road for their next two matches: Richmond Kickers (May 16) and New Mexico United (May 23). The Battery’s next home game will be on Sat., May 30, against Detroit City FC for Military Appreciation Night 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 (Blackstock, 65’), Akpunonu (Suber, 46’), Smith, Foster (Cabrera, 65’), Ycaza, Pakhomov, Kelly (Wayne, 75’), Berry, Swan, Houssou (Martínez, 46’)
- JAX: Olivares, Rose, Gomez, Edwards, Neville, Evans (Soto, 60’), Roberts (Kuzain, 72’), Rossiter, Al Qaq, Jääskeläinen, Armstrong (Granitur, 84’)
Scoring Summary:
- CHS – Colton Swan, 28’ (Houssou Landry)
- CHS – Maalique Foster, 32’ (Jeremy Kelly)
- CHS – Kirill Pakhomov, 42’
- CHS – Colton Swan, 64’ (Nathan Messer)