MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Aaron Molloy scored the decisive goal with seven minutes to play after Nick Markanich scored early in the second half as the Charleston Battery rallied for a 2-1 victory against the Tampa Bay Rowdies before a sellout crowd on Sunday afternoon at Patriots Points in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix.

The Battery will host Rhode Island FC in the Eastern Conference Final next Saturday night at Patriots Point as they look for a second consecutive Eastern Conference title and trip to the USL Championship Final on November 23.

Charleston opened the game on the front foot, but after absorbing pressure it was the Rowdies that took the lead on the half-hour mark when Cal Jennings won a 50-50 ball off Leo Fernandes’ flicked header at the halfway line and set up Manuel Arteaga for a first-time strike from 20 yards that picked out the bottom-left corner of the net.

The hosts responded quickly and began to start carving out chances. Markanich went close in the 35th minute as he got on the end of a back-post cross from Juan David Torres from the left that was parried wide by Rowdies goalkeeper Jordan Farr. Off the ensuing corner kick, Farr was called on again to make a strong save on Jackson Conway before Markanich had a header cleared off the goal line by Tampa Bay’s Danny Crisostomo off another corner moment later.

Having held on defensively, Tampa Bay got a golden opportunity to double its lead in first-half stoppage time when Jennings was played in one-on-one with Battery goalkeeper Adam Grinwis, only for Grinwis to make an outstanding save to keep it a one-goal game at the break. That proved key five minutes into the second half when the Battery worked Chris Allan free on the left, and his cross picked out Markanich for a header at the top of the six-yard area and his 30th goal of the campaign.

The Battery almost took the lead just past the hour-mark when a quick piece of interplay between Torres and Molloy at the top of the penalty area sent the Colombian through for a shot that caromed off the right post and behind. With seven minutes to play, however, Molloy put the hosts ahead. Awarded a free kick beyond the top-left edge of the penalty area, the Irish midfielder picked out a shot to the top-right corner for a sensational go-ahead goal.

Tampa Bay tried to respond immediately as Arteaga stretched to get on the end of a chipped cross by Damian Rivera but couldn’t redirect his effort on target. The Venezuelan then had a chance charged down as the game entered stoppage time, allowing Grinwis to gather comfortably, but while the Rowdies threw numbers forward, the Battery held on to return to the Eastern Conference Final for a second consecutive year.

Three Things That Mattered

1. BATTERY’S BIG GUNS STEPPED UP: There’s a cliché that applies to whatever postseason you want to talk about – your best players have to be your best players if you’re going to advance. Among the Charleston Battery’s contributor-heavy lineup, Nick Markanich and Aaron Molloy are at the top of the list, and helped drive the side throughout as the hosts rallied from a halftime deficit to remain in position to claim a second consecutive Eastern Conference title and the fifth league title in club history. Markanich was buzzing throughout and ended with five shots, the last of which produced Charleston’s equalizer in the 50th minute. Molloy, meanwhile, burnished his reputation as arguably the best set-piece taker in the league with a free kick that should be on a lot of highlight reels to decide the game in favor of the hosts before extra time arrived.

2. CHARLESTON’S PRESSURE TOOK A TOLL: When the Rowdies took the lead on their first shot of the game in the 30th minute, the Battery hadn’t really had much in the way of clear-cut chances to talk about. What they had produced, though, was consistent possession, making Tampa Bay work defensively. When the Battery shifted into a higher gear after going behind, it eventually proved irresistible for the visitors. Charleston ended the game with a 25-11 shot advantage including 11 efforts on target that included a pair of goal line clearance that denied Markanich in the first half before he finally found the net. The Battery won the key battles – winning 55.6 percent of duels and holding almost two-thirds of possession – that allowed them to set the tempo. In the end, that pressure paid off.  

3. ROWDIES DETERMINATION WASN’T ENOUGH: The effort by the Rowdies on the road in the face of Charleston’s pressure was outstanding, with the goal line clearances by Danny Crisostomo and Jordan Doherty adding to another stellar shot-stopping performance by Jordan Farr. In the end, though, the side wasn’t quite clean enough to relieve possession consistently and balance out the game. Tampa Bay tried to go quickly when it got on the ball, which worked on Manuel Arteaga’s opening goal and a golden opportunity for Cal Jennings to double the lead right before halftime, but the Battery’s overall control of the flow of the game was too much as Tampa Bay exited the postseason.

USLChampionship.com Player of the Game

Aaron Molloy, Charleston Battery – The Irish midfielder’s spectacular free kick capped an outstanding display in central midfield in which he completed 69 of 73 passes and recorded four chances created while winning 6 of 8 duels.

Scoring Summary
TBR – Manuel Arteaga (Cal Jennings) 30’
CHS – Nick Markanich (Chris Allan) 50’
CHS – Aaron Molloy 83’

Full Box Score