By: Battery Media
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (June 24, 2023) – The Charleston Battery suffered defeat on the road, 3-2, to Memphis 901 FC at AutoZone Park on Saturday. Beto Avila scored his first Battery goal and Fidel Barajas tallied his second of the season, but three goals from the hosts proved to be the difference. The Black and Yellow will look ahead to Friday's contest against Loudoun United FC to bounce back.
Charleston started the match applying early pressure, Fidel Barajas registered the night's first shot 16 seconds into the game which went just wide of the far post. The match incurred a brief delay in the 8th minute when Memphis goalkeeper Drew Romig took a knee to the head from a teammate, requiring attention from the trainers but Romig stayed in.
The hosts struck first in the 18th minute via Laurent Kissiedou. Despite going down a goal, Charleston remained relentless in putting 901 FC under pressure.
Beto Avila leveled the score at 1-1 in the 26th minute after scoring his first Battery goal. Dante Polvara initiated the play from midfield with a smart tackle and played the ball to Chris Allan, who found Barajas. From there, Barajas unleashed a shot that Romig could only deflect back into the box and Avila was right there to redirect the ball into the net with a header.
Charleston took a 1-2 lead in the 34th minute when Barajas scored with a clinical strike, beating two Memphis defenders and Romig. Polvara again had a hand in the goal, this time credited with an assist, when he picked out Barajas with a ball over the top from about midfield. Barajas made a few moves before perfectly slotting his second goal of the season.
Near the end of stoppage time in the first half, Memphis caught a fortunate break to score an equalizer via Rashawn Dally, sending the sides tied at 2-2 into halftime.
The intensity of the first 45 minutes carried into the second half as both clubs vied for a winner. Memphis twice put the ball in the back of the net before the 60th minute, but both were chalked off for offside in the build-up.
Tempers flared in the 61st minute between the Memphis bench and the match referees, leading to 901 FC boss Stephen Glass receiving a straight red card and an early dismissal.
Memphis managed to add a third goal in the 74th minute when Rodrigo Da Costa scored following a counterattack.
A warm welcome back to action came in the 77th minute when Emilio Ycaza entered the game in place of Dante Polvara. The swap marked Ycaza's first appearance in a match since March 18.
Charleston continued to create chances in dangerous spots as the match reached the business end of the night. Nick Markanich narrowly missed wide with a strong shot from inside the box in the 82nd minute and Arturo Rodriguez has a decent hit deflected away from the goal moments later.
The Battery were unable to find an equalizer despite the valiant effort through stoppage time to put one more past Romig, falling 3-2 to Memphis. Charleston's record now stands at 8W-5L-4D (28 pts), placing them second in the Eastern Conference.
