CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery extended their undefeated streak to five games as they took a 3-1 victory against Miami FC on Wednesday night at the Patriots Point Soccer Complex, giving the hosts their third consecutive victory and a third consecutive game with three goals in the net.

Looking to bolster their position in second place in Group H, the Battery almost connected in the seventh minute when Zeiko Lewis beat his defender cutting back in the right side of the penalty area, only for his cross to the back post to just be out of reach of a sliding Mauro Cichero.

The hosts continued to create the better chances in the first half, and in the 26th minute Miami FC goalkeeper Martin Gammiero was forced into a strong save to keep out a chance for Romario Piggott. A minute later, Robbie Crawford also threatened for the Battery with a curling shot from the top of the penalty area that floated just over the crossbar.

In the 29th minute, however, the breakthrough arrived. A corner kick from the left was cleared by Miami as far as AJ Paterson, who fired a long-range strike that was controlled in the penalty area by Battery teammate Logan Gdula. The defender quickly turned and fired home from 12 yards off the underside of the crossbar to put Charleston ahead.

The Battery doubled their lead five minutes later as Piggott controlled possession off a deflected cross from the right at the top of the penalty area. The Panamanian turned to create space and directed home a low shot to the right corner to make it a two-goal game.

The second half saw the game open up further, and Miami’s Romario Williams got a clear look on goal from 25 yards four minutes in that forced a save from the Battery’s Joe Kuzminsky. Piggott was then denied his second goal of the night for hosts after a weaving run in from the left that finished with a near-post shot that was saved, but Miami struck in the 53th minute as Janos Loebe delivered a cross from the left that found Miguel Gonzalez in the center of the penalty area that he buried into the bottom-left corner of the net.

The Battery almost responded immediately as Cichero fired a free kick to the right corner of the net from 25 yards that Gammiero punched to safety. In the 63rd minute, though, Charleston restored its two-goal advantage as Arthur Bosua controlled a cross from the left in the center of the penalty area and set up Dante Marini for a shot that took a deflection that wrongfooted Gammiero and bounced into the right corner of the net.

Miami almost pulled within a goal again with 19 minutes to go as Lloyd Sam juked past a defender in the right side of the penalty area but was closed down by Kuzminsky, who parried his shot behind for a corner. Hassan Ndam also threatened from a corner kick with two minutes to go, but his connection on a shot from the center of the penalty area wasn’t clean and slid wide of the left post. The Battery’s advantage would hold, however, as they claimed all three points ahead of another big game with group leader the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday night.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Logan Gdula, Charleston Battery – Gdula scored the opening goal on the night and recorded eight recoveries and three clearances defensively while completing 47 of 56 passes overall.