KENNESAW, Ga. – The Charleston Battery held the lead against Atlanta United FC for almost an hour, but the defending MLS Cup champion fought back to force extra time and then took a 3-1 victory as Brandon Vasquez scored twice at Fifth Third Bank Stadium to send Atlanta into the Fifth Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Thursday night despite a valiant late push for an equalizer from the visitors.

As it had throughout most of the 90 minutes, Atlanta carried most of the possession in the first period of extra time, but the Battery got the only good half-chance of the period in the 96th minute when Angelo Kelly fired a looping shot over the net from the top-right corner of the penalty area. Atlanta’s first good chance of the extra 30 minutes didn’t arrive until the opening minute of the second half when Justin Meram peeled away from his marker for a free header six yards out, but his finish hit the ground hard and looped over the crossbar.

Atlanta took the lead in the 110th minute, however, as a lifted pass over the top by Meram allowed Vasquez to steal in between advancing Battery goalkeeper Phil Breno and retreating defender Taylor Mueller to apply a touch that took the ball away from both and allowed for a simple finish into the open net.

The Battery appeared for a moment to have equalized seven minutes later after a long-range strike by Vincenzo Candela was parried by Atlanta goalkeeper Alec Kann, allowing Nicque Daley to put home the rebound, but Daley was ruled offside to keep United ahead. The Battery then hit the crossbar in the 119th minute as a clever scooped pass by Dante Marini got Arthur Bosua in behind the defense, but his first-time lob of Kann came back off the crossbar and allowed the Atlanta goalkeeper to recover possession.

United then iced the game in stoppage time as Vasquez notched his second goal of the extra session with a first-time finish off a low cross from the left by Meram, sending Atlanta on to face Columbus Crew SC next week in the Round of 16.

The opening 90 minutes opened more evenly, and the Battery had the first good look at goal in the 12th minute when Romario Piggott found space 14 yards from goal but his shot was too close to Kann, who saved comfortably. Charleston took the lead eight minutes later, however, as A.J. Paterson turned possession over deep in Atlanta’s half, and quickly found Ian Svantesson 20 yards from goal in the left channel. Svantesson hit his finish first-time to the right corner, and with Kann scrambling to get back in position the ball found the net.

Charleston’s goal arrived before Atlanta had recorded an official shot, and it wasn’t until the 28th minute that Breno was called into action to turn a low shot to the right corner by Andrew Carleton wide for a corner. Brek Shea also had a chance from a narrow angle on the left after being played in with a slide-rule pass by Pity Martinez but couldn’t put his finish on target as Atlanta pushed the Battery back strongly as the hosts looked to level before halftime.

Former Battery standout Romario Williams had a header saved in first-half stoppage time for Atlanta, and after Charleston made it to the break with the lead Williams again threatened twice for United early in the second half. The second of those chances forced Breno into his best save of the night to that point as Martinez’s cross from the right was volleyed by Williams from 10 yards, but Breno did enough to keep save and control the rebound, one of 10 saves he made in total over the 120 minutes.

Breno was again called into action with 19 minutes to go when he made a diving stop to keep out a free kick by Martinez aimed to the bottom-left corner from 25 yards. Another long-range effort by Martinez five minutes later was also dealt with by the Battery’s goalkeeper, but with 11 minutes to go Atlanta’s pressure paid off as a deep corner from the right found Miles Robinson at the back post as Breno came for the ball but didn’t get there, and Robinson’s header back into the six-yard are allowed Williams to tap home.

Atlanta’s pressure continued and a punched clearance by Breno on a cross from the right inside the final 10 minutes deflected into his own six-yard area before the Battery were able to clear. The Battery goalkeeper then made a pair of good saves from United’s Brandon Vasquez and Martinez to send the game to extra time as both fired from the right side of the penalty area in back-to-back minutes, but United’s pressure eventually wore down the Battery’s defenses as Vasquez – introduced with 16 minutes to go in regulation – played the role of supersub to send his side through.