Wilmington Hammerheads News Release -- www.wilmingtonhammerheads.com
Saturday, May 21, 2011
WILMINGTON, N.C. – The Wilmington Hammerheads notched their fourth consecutive win at Legion Stadium in USL PRO with a 3-0 victory against the Charleston Battery in front of a crowd of 4,732 on Saturday night.
The Hammerheads improved their record to 4-1-0, while the Battery dropped to 3-4-2.
The Hammerheads pressured Charleston early in the first half with three corner kicks and two shots on goal in the opening 15 minutes. In the 27th minute, Hammerheads midfielder Luke Mulholland gave his side the lead as he fired a shot into the far corner of the net off a short pass from forward Andriy Budnyy.
The Battery pushed for an equalizer before the break and came close in the 44th minute as J.C. Mack fired a fierce shot from just outside the penalty area that sailed just wide of the far post, allowing the Hammerheads to maintain their advantage at halftime.
The Battery continued to press at the start of the second half and outshot the Hammerheads, 3-1 in the opening twenty minutes of the half. Charleston’s pressure appeared to have paid off in the 71st minute, but they were denied a goal due to the assistant referee’s offside flag.
Minutes later, Battery defender and captain John Wilson received a straight red card reducing his side to 10 men, and the Hammerheads took advantage of their man-advantage as Mulholland grabbed his second in the 85th minute, bringing the crowd to its feet. Hakop Aveysan added a third goal in the 90th minute to complete the scoring.
The Hammerheads will travel for a doubleheader next weekend as they face the Rochester Rhinos on Friday night at the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday night. The Battery will return home to host the Richmond Kickers on Tuesday night at 7:30 p.m.