Battery Complete Road Schedule in Defeat to Indy
October 8, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Charleston Battery News Release
INDIANAPOLIS – The Charleston Battery wrapped up their away schedule Saturday with a 4-1 road defeat to Indy Eleven. Augustine Williams scored the night’s opening goal, assisted by Fidel Barajas, to add to his team-leading total of 16 goals. Indy, however, would find the back of the net four times afterwards to secure the victory. Charleston will look to bounce back in the season finale on October 15 at Patriots Point against Loudoun United FC.
Charleston started the match on the front foot and controlled the early stages of the night, winning four corner kicks through the first 15 minutes. The Battery opened the scoring in the 18th minute when Augustine Williams tucked in a goal from a tight angle inside the six-yard box, assisted by Fidel Barajas. Barajas, making his first start with the Battery, drove the ball down the left flank and found Williams with a cross. It was the second time in as many games that Williams and Barajas connected for a goal.
Andrew Booth appeared to double the Battery’s lead in the 22nd minute with a well-placed shot into the net, but the flag was raised for offside in the build-up. On the opposite end, goalkeeper Hugo Fauroux made a decisive save in the 24th minute to deny Wilfredo Rivera. Indy managed to level the score in the 40th minute when AJ Cochran scored an equalizer off a set-piece play.
The two teams went into the break tied at 1-1 despite the Battery holding the lion’s share of possession (55.7%), corner kicks (nine to Indy’s zero) and shots on target (three to two).
Play resumed for the second half with the hosts looking to find the breakthrough goal. Stefano Pinho did just that in the 48th minute to give Indy a 2-1 lead. Charleston continued to apply pressure in the attacking third but were unable to find the back of the net. The Battery made appeals for a handball in the 61st minute after a shot from DZ Harmon appeared to rock off the forearm of Robert Dambrot inside the box. However, no call was given.
The hosts added to their lead shortly after, when Pinho scored his second of the night in the 64th minute. Fauroux did his best to keep the Eleven at bay and made a pair of sensational saves in the 67th and 69th minutes. Indy all but put the game away in the 71st minute when a shot from Manuel Arteaga caromed off Charlie Asensio and into the net, credited as an own goal to Asensio.
Following three minutes of stoppage time, Indy secured the victory as Charleston’s away schedule came to a close.
Battery Head Coach Conor Casey and forward Augustine Williams recapped the match after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Casey on his overall assessment of the night…
It was good to come out and get the lead, we created a lot of chances in the first half. Things looked pretty comfortable for the most part. But in the second half, we gave up those goals and made another mistake. It went downhill from there in terms of our defending. What looked like a winnable game at halftime, unfortunately, didn’t turn out to be.
It was good to see Fidel get on the statsheet again with another assist and to see Augi get his goal, so those were two positives from tonight.
Coach Casey on what seemed to change in the second half…
Indy scored two set piece goals, so that’s on us defending and being tuned in. We’re a team right now that doesn’t have a whole lot of confidence. So, we got two goals scored on us and it opened up a bit and we were trying to get the next goal, but then we got countered. We were not really defending very well, it wasn’t anything Indy did, necessarily, it was on us not making plays.
Coach Casey on the next match, at home against Loudoun…
We’ve got one game left, so we want to come out and perform in front of our fans for the last game of the season. We’ll lick our wounds, it’s been a long year. But, we’ll make sure that we come with the right energy next weekend for our supporters.
Williams on his appraisal of the night…
I think we were in the game for a good amount of time, in how we started and we got on top. But it’s also frustrating to come out and put on a performance like we did in the second half. After their second goal, I think the momentum changed and, unfortunately, it didn’t go the way we wanted to tonight.
Williams on his new-found scoring connection with Barajas…
It’s about analyzing him and studying how he plays, what he likes to do, and then my job is to always be in the box and be in the space. So, whenever there’s an opportunity for Fidel to cross it in, I’m just going to react to what he does. I think we’ve been able to make that connection because he’s finding me at the right place at the right time.
With the instructions that are being given, he’s taking them on well. He’s adapted well and then with us embracing him into the squad, that’s just allowed him to integrate more easily. He’s been adjusting well and you can see that with his second assist in his second game.
Williams on the team looking to finish the season on a high note next Saturday…
For us, it’s a matter of starting with ourselves, this result, and it’s a quick turnaround. We want to be able to give our fans that last celebration, so for us to grab the three points that weekend, it’s very important. We’re going to go back to the the training pitch, study the opponent, and then try to give our fans the happiness on the weekend that they deserve. They’ve been around and supporting us throughout the whole season, so it will be a great thing to give them something to smile about at the end.
The Battery will return home for the season finale on Saturday, October 15, against Loudoun United FC. The club will be celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness Night at Patriots Point, presented by Spinx Convenience Stores, and raising money for cancer research with the American Cancer Society. Tickets are available now for the season finale via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
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