The Charleston Battery completed a sensational comeback 2-1 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies in front of a sold-out crowd of over 5,000 at Patriots Point in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the USL Championship Playoffs on Sunday. After going down 0-1 before halftime, Nick Markanich tied the game in the 50th minute and Aaron Molloy scored the winning goal in the 83rd minute with a free kick for the ages.
The result punches Charleston’s ticket to the Eastern Conference Final on Sat., Nov. 16, against Rhode Island FC at Patriots Point.
The afternoon got off to a physical start as both teams recognized the high stakes of the day. Neither side recorded a shot in the opening 10 minutes. A fine intervention by Jay Chapman in the 6th minute denied Tampa Bay a potential counterattack.
A seven-minute pause in play occurred after a collision during a corner kick in the 12th minute. Tampa Bay’s Danny Crisostomo required attention from the medical staff but he and the game would carry on again in the 19th minute.
Jackson Conway nearly broke open the game with an opportunistic strike from outside the box in the 20th minute, but his attempt was saved by goalkeeper Jordan Farr.
Tampa Bay managed to score first via Manuel Arteaga in the 30th minute.
Down a goal, Charleston were resolute to get back onto level terms with the visitors. Juan David Torres tested Farr in the 32nd minute, however the attempt was saved.
Torres then connected with Nick Markanich in the 35th minute and Markanich’s header forced a decisive save by Farr. On the ensuing corner kick, Conway’s volley strike off the rebound was narrowly saved. A minute later, Markanich put another header on target but it was blocked off the line by Crisostomo as the officials deemed the ball did not fully cross the line.
Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis came up with a massive save in stoppage time to deny Cal Jennings from point-blank range. His save and that moment would prove to be decisive at the end of the afternoon.
Charleston trailed 0-1 at the break but gained momentum in the latter stages of the first half to build on for the second half.
Play resumed and the Battery applied pressure early while using the crowd’s energy to push them forward.
The man of the moment all year long, Nick Markanich leveled the score in the 50th minute with a perfect header that Farr could only watch go into the net. Chris Allan played a perfect cross into the box for Markanich and the Battery’s talisman would not be denied.
Markanich’s goal was his 30th of the season. The assist was Allan’s fourth.
Momentum firmly swung in the Battery’s direction after Markanich’s goal. Chris Allan uncorked a powerful shot in the 56th minute that was saved by Farr and Torres nearly put the Battery in front after a one-on-one with Farr, but his shot from inside the box struck the post.
The deciding moment of the night came in the 83rd minute after Arturo Rodriguez was fouled outside the box and Aaron Molloy stepped up to take the ensuing free kick.
From just outside the box, Molloy unleashed a missile toward goal that banked off the corner of the frame and went into the net, beating Farr’s lunge to try to stop it. The sold-out crowd at Patriots Point erupted after what’s sure to be the goal of the playoffs and one of the best of 2024.
The goal was Molloy’s third of the year and heretofore his most impactful.
Tampa Bay, faced with the dissolution of their 2024 season, threw everything forward to grab an equalizer and force extra time. Charleston’s defense held firm in the remaining seven minutes and stoppage time, including crucial clearances by Emilio Ycaza and Robbie Crawford, to deny the Rowdies an equalizer.
Charleston secured the 2-1 victory over Tampa Bay, completing the comeback and punching their ticket to the Eastern Conference Final for the second consecutive season. The Battery will have an opportunity to go back-to-back with Eastern Conference championships at home.
The next round will take place at Patriots Point on Sat., Nov. 16, against Rhode Island FC and kick off at 7 p.m. ET. The winner of that contest will book their place in the trip to the USL Championship Final on Saturday, November 23.
Charleston’s victory was a testament to their determination, as the hosts out-shot the visitors 25 to 11, succeeded in the duels battle at 56% won and held 66% possession.
