Thursday, May 31, 2012
PITTSBURGH -- The Charleston Battery took a 3-1 victory against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Thursday night at Chartiers Valley Stadium. Nicki Paterson of the Battery had pair of goals in the last two minutes of the first half to put the visiting side up for good, while Dane Kelly added a third for the Battery after Rich Costanzo had pulled a goal back for the Riverhounds from the penalty spot.
The first half was a battle of possession in the middle third of the field. The tempo of the game was slow as passing lanes were closed and combinations were hard to come by for both sides. The Battery closed out the first half with Patterson converting two opportunties, first finding himself in the right place at the right time as a Battery corner kick landed at his feet all alone in front of the goal. Patterson wasted little time to poke home the game’s first goal.
Thirty seconds later, the Battery received a dangerous set piece 19 yards away from goal. Taking his time, Patterson struck a bending ball over the Riverhounds wall and into the top left corner of the goal to put the Battery ahead 2-0 at the break.
The Riverhounds came out of the half with a greater sense of urgency, but were reduced to 10 men in the 57th minute. Matt Kassel was sent off for a physical challenge on the Battery’s Dane Kelly at the edge of the penalty area. But three minutes after going a man down, the Riverhounds would cut the Battery lead in half after Mike Seth was pulled down in the box and the referee awarded the Riverhounds a penalty kick. Costanzo stepped up to the spot and tucked a right-footed shot past Battery goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra to bring the score to 2-1.
The Battery would put the game away in the 69th minute on a counter-attack. A diagonal ball from the Battery’s back line found Ryan Richter all alone on the right flank, and after taking his marker deep into the corner, Richter slid the ball in front of the goal for an on-rushing Kelly, who redirected a shot into the back of the net, adding some insurance for the Battery.
The Riverhounds return to action on Saturday, June 9 as they travel west to meet the Dayton Dutch Lions at Careflight Field. The Battery also travel to Dayton for their next outing as they meet the Dutch Lions this Saturday at Bellbrook Stadium. Both games are scheduled to start at 8 p.m.