The Charleston Battery fell 1-2 to Hartford Athletic in Week 27 of the USL Championship regular season at Patriots Point on Saturday. Charleston opened the scoring via Kirill Pakhomov in the 29th minute, but a red card in the 60th minute to Nathan Messer reduced the Battery to 10 men for the rest of the night. Hartford were granted a penalty to equalize in the 75th minute and scored the go-ahead goal at the end of stoppage time. The result snapped Charleston’s home unbeaten run after 24 regular season games.
Charleston and Hartford kicked off amid paw-fect conditions as the club was also celebrating Pups at the Pitch at Patriots Point.
The Battery nearly scored the opener in the 1st minute, but his promising look on goal ended in a shot over the crossbar. Jeremy Kelly forced a save from goalkeeper Anthony Siaha in the 3rd minute with a strong strike from distance.
Hartford thought they scored the opener in the 14th minute via Augu Williams, but the referee’s flag was raised for offside.
Charleston took the lead in the 29th minute when Kirill Pakhomov fired the hosts in front after a set-piece play. Nathan Messer played the corner kick short to Jeremy Kelly, and Kelly played a low cross into the box to Pakhomov, who was waiting near the penalty spot. Pakhomov struck the ball with his first touch and slotted it home with enough pace to overcome a slight deflection.
Pakhomov’s goal was his third of the year. Kelly’s assist was his eighth of 2026, and his seventh in league play, placing him into a tie for the league lead, as of writing.
Goalkeeper John Berner made his first save of the night in the 37th to deny Michee Ngalina with a clutch effort.
The Battery took the 1-0 lead into the break after recording five shots on target (14 total) and holding 60.1% possession.
Play resumed in the second half with all still to play for despite the 1-0 scoreline.
The complexion of the game was altered in the 60th minute when Nathan Messer was shown his second yellow card of the night, and a subsequent red card, for a foul against Hartford, reducing the Battery to 10 men for the remainder of the evening.
Hartford were awarded back into the game in the 73rd minute when a penalty was called against Douglas Martinez for a foul in the box against Sadat Anaku. Michee Ngalina converted from the spot in the 75th minute, despite Berner’s correct guess, to level the score at 1-1.
Down a man, Charleston looked to preserve a point amid the 1-1 score for the remaining quarter-hour to play.
The visitors managed to score the go-ahead goal in the 97th minute via Barry Coffey to take a 1-2 lead at the death.
Hartford held on to secure the 1-2 win, snapping the Battery’s home unbeaten run at 24 regular season games.
The result moves the Battery’s record to 12W-8L-3D (39pts), placing them second in the Eastern Conference table going into the weekend.
Charleston’s next match will be away vs. Birmingham Legion FC on September 12. The next home game is on September 19 vs. Monterey Bay FC, as the club celebrates Hispanic Heritage Night at Patriots Point. Tickets for the match are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups:
- Berner, Messer, Akpunonu, Smith, Martínez (Kissiedou, 78’), Ycaza, Pakhomov, Kelly (Swan, 86’), Berry (Hughes, 86’), Foster (Blackstock, 78’), Cabrera (Houssou, 61’)
- Siaha, Fischer (Presthus, 57’), Scarlett, Diz, Samadia (Njie, 71’), Moreira, Makangila (Adedokun, 71’), Anderson, Coffey, Williams (Anaku, 71’), Ngalina (Real, 86’)
Scoring Summary:
- CHS – Kirill Pakhomov, 29’ (Jeremy Kelly)
- HFD – Michee Ngalina, 75’
- HFD – Barry Coffey, 90’+7