Charleston Face Loudoun at Home in Season Finale
October 14, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Charleston Battery News Release
CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery host Loudoun United FC in the 2022 season finale on Saturday, October 15, at Patriots Point. The afternoon clash kicks off at 5 p.m. ET.
Charleston and Loudoun previously met back in May, a 1-1 away draw. The match was highlighted by goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky’s game-tying goal in the final minute of the game. It was the first career goal scored by Kuzminsky, who has over 100 caps for the Battery.
Loudoun enter Saturday looking to put behind them a woeful 8-0 defeat on the road against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The hosts scored early and often as six different players found the back of the net. Loudoun’s last victory came in a 3-0 triumph over Hartford Athletic on September 21, but they are scoreless in their last three games and have been outscored 0-13 in that span.
The Battery are also looking to get back to winning ways in the finale after falling 4-1 on the road against Indy Eleven. Augi Williams netted his 16th goal of the season, assisted by Fidel Barajas for the second consecutive week, but it was not enough in the end. Charleston’s last victory came at home on September 10 over the Rowdies, 2-1.
Tyler Freeman is a player to watch for Loudoun. The 19-year-old and former Sporting Kansas City Homegrown Player is Loudoun’s top goalscorer with eight tallies in 2022.
Fidel Barajas is one to keep an eye on for Charleston. The youngster made his first start with the Battery against Indy and has contributed an assist in both of his appearances.
Saturday night has the potential to be a notable one for defender Leland Archer, who is poised to make his 100th appearance for the Battery across all competitions. Archer debuted for the club on June 9, 2018, against the Richmond Kickers.
Dennis Sanchez will lead the Battery on Saturday as the interim head coach.
Charleston lead the all-time series over Loudoun with a 5W-1L-1D record against the Virginia side and are on a six-game undefeated streak over Saturday’s visitors.
FROM THE TRAINING GROUND
The Battery returned to training on Tuesday, following the road match again Indy, to begin preparations for Saturday afternoon’s match.
Interim Head Coach Dennis Sanchez and forward Augi Williams previewed the duel with Loudoun, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Sanchez on his message to the team ahead of Saturday…
The message has been clear, we had a really good team meeting this morning, the focus has been on having a higher purpose and really playing for something that’s bigger than ourselves. So, we decided as a group to play for the fans this weekend, we’re going to dedicate our match to them. We want to really repay them for the loyalty and support that they’ve shown all this year. I think with Breast Cancer Awareness Night, it’s going to be an important night for a lot of people.
Coach Sanchez on the squad making the most of the final 90 minutes left to be played in 2022…
With one game left, the message has also been to focus on the present. There are a lot of things that are going to be outside of our control when the season is done. We talked a lot about the strength of the group and what they’ve done this year. Play with another level of confidence that maybe they’ve shown in spurts, but not enough from what they are capable of doing.
Coach Sanchez on turning in a strong home performance for the finale…
We need to remind teams that when they come here, there’s nothing handed or given to them. We’re going to very much be the protagonist, we’re going to be the aggressors, we’re going o be the ones that set the tone, having that mentality from zero through the 90th minute. If we control the things that we’re capable of controlling and play to our abilities, we know that we’re going to have a strong performance, which is going to lead to a victory for our supporters.
Williams on the team’s mindset heading into the final game…
It’s a new week, we’re looking forward to getting back out there in front of our fans. We’ve been on the road for the last two games, so the mindset has been great. Everyone is excited and training has been great. We’re looking forward to coming out and putting on a strong performance.
Williams on round two with Loudoun…
We’ve played them already, away, and we know their weaknesses. We went out there and put on a good performance, I think we could have gotten away three points. We’re looking to make that right at home and get three points.
Williams on giving the fans a proper send-off…
Being at home, our fans being there, they have supported us through the good and the bad. So, it’s important to put on a performance to give them that last send-off and put a smile on their face because they’ve been there for us throughout the whole season.
As of posting, Brett St. Martin, Joe Schmidt and Joe Kuzminsky are out.
MATCH INFO
Charleston Battery vs. Loudoun United FC
Saturday, October 15 – 5:00 p.m. ET Kickoff
Patriots Point
HOW TO WATCH:
Only a very limited amount of tickets are still available for Saturday’s match and can be purchased via SeatGeek.com, the Battery’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
All Battery matches will also stream on ESPN+ domestically and through the league’s YouTube channel for free internationally.
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