KENNESAW, Ga. – Atlanta United 2 and the Charleston Battery played to a 1-1 draw on Wednesday night at Fifth Third Bank Stadium as the Battery’s Robbie Crawford leveled for the visitors in the second half after Jackson Conway had given the hosts a first-half lead.

Both teams looked to get onto the front foot early, but it was Atlanta that created the first good chance in the fifth minute as Mikey Ambrose cut a cross back from the left flank and found Robbie Mertz, whose first-time shot went narrowly over the crossbar. The hosts took the lead in the 11th minute, though, as Conway intercepted an errant pass by Charleston’s Burke Fahling 20 yards from goal and promptly fired into the left corner of the net.

The Battery had a chance to level in the 15th minute when a cross from the left by AJ Paterson came to Angelo Kelly at the top-right edge of the penalty area for a shot that was comfortably saved by Rocco Rios Novo, while 10 minutes before halftime the visitors also went close as Zeiko Lewis won possession in the Atlanta half and fed Claudio Repetto for a slow shot that was also kept out. Repetto went close again five minutes later as he glanced a cross from the left by Fahling on target, but Rios Novo stretched to save to keep the hosts ahead at halftime.

Atlanta almost struck for a second time off a turnover by Charleston early in the second half, only this time for Conway’s shot off a pass by Mertz to the top-left edge of the penalty area to be saved by Kuzminsky, but on the hour-mark the Battery leveled the game as after Kelly was played into the right side of the penalty area he cut back a pass to Crawford, whose first-time shot took a slight deflection but picked out the bottom-left corner of the net. The hosts went close to regaining the lead six minutes later, but Macky Diop’s finish after a cross from the left had deflected to him inside the penalty area went wide of the right post.

Charleston had a pair of chances to go ahead inside the final 15 minutes as first Fahling fired a low shot just wide of the left post from the top-right edge of the box before DZ Harmon wove into the left side of the penalty area maintaining control after a challenge by a defender only to see his shot from a narrow angle slide wide of the right post. The visitors then went closer to grabbing all three points in the 90th minute as Geobel Perez rattled the crossbar with a shot from the right side of the penalty area after he had cut inside on his left foot.

The Battery had one final chance to grab all three points in stoppage time as Josh Penn cut past a pair of defenders to create space in the left side of the penalty area only to send his finish into the left side-netting, while the visitors also need a stellar clearance to keep Atlanta from its own late opportunity as Kelly swept a low cross by Connor Stanley from the right away from Aidan McFadden at the back post. The game would end level, though, as each side took a point home for its pursuit of a playoff berth.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Robbie Crawford, Charleston Battery – Crawford notched the equalizer for the visitors with a good curling effort and was highly influential in midfield, completing 50 of 60 passes and making five interceptions and 11 recoveries.

Scoring Summary
ATL – Jackson Conway 11’
CHS – Robbie Crawford (Angelo Kelly) 60’

Full Box Score