Nick Markanich – you can’t stop him, you can only hope to contain him.

And even though Hartford Athletic tried their best on Saturday evening at Patriots Point, the Charleston Battery star continued his incredible start to the 2024 season with a finish worth of the No. 1 spot on ESPN’s SportsCenter later that night.

Markanich’s remarkable bicycle kick finish added to a remarkable start to the season.

• The finish was Markanich’s 12th goal of the season in just 10 appearances in the USL Championship.
• He has scored in the past five games, recording nine goals and three assists in that span overall.
• Markanich’s 12 goals are currently more than 17 Championship teams overall.
• Markanich is currently the leading goalscorer in the professional ranks in the United States.  
• Saturday's goal saw Markanich surpass his individual goal total of 11 across the regular season and playoffs a year ago.

With just under one-third of the Battery’s regular season complete, Markanich has a chance to break the Championship’s single-season scoring record of 25 goals, currently shared by former Louisville City FC star Cameron Lancaster and former Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC star Hadji Barry.

After the start he’s made, you’d not dare bet against it.