CHARLESTON, S.C. – Nashville SC thought it was on its way to a second consecutive quality victory, but the Charleston Battery had other ideas, scoring a second-half strike before playing to a 1-1 draw at MUSC Health Stadium on Saturday evening. Nashville’s Liam Doyle hit a stunning left-footed blast into the bottom-right corner after Lebo Moloto set up the defender from a free kick opportunity just outside the box in the 25th minute. Ataulla Guerra did what he has done all season long, though, scoring a goal five minutes into the second half to level the score. Charleston had one of the best opportunities to score the go-ahead goal later into the match, but Jarad van Schaik’s shot from inside the box in the 77th minute sailed high of the crossbar. With the result, Nashville improves to 4-2-3 on the season, while Charleston falls to 5-3-3 on the year.
Scoring:
25’ – NSH – Liam Doyle (Lebo Moloto)
50’ – CHS – Ataulla Guerra (Jay Bolt)
Three Things That Matter:
1. Ataulla Guerra has now scored a goal in five of the Battery’s seven home matches this season. The Trinidadian has been one of the top scorers in all of USL this campaign, but most of his goals this season have been scored at MUSC Health Stadium. The Battery faithful will be hoping Guerra can put an end to that, though, as Charleston will now begin a three-game road run starting with a matchup against the Indy Eleven at Lucas Oil Stadium on Wednesday.
2. Nashville SC is now unbeaten in four consecutive USL matches. While the team was only able to claim one win from that span, having tied Penn FC, the New York Red Bulls II and now the Battery, the team did top Louisville City FC 2-0 on May 13, showing how talented this side can be.
3. MUSC Health Stadium continues to be a fortress for the Battery this season, as the team has recorded a 6-1-2 record across all competitive competitions this campaign. Five of the next six matches for Charleston will be played away from home, though, which will truly test the team to see if it is a contender in the Eastern Conference.
USLSoccer.com Man of the Match
Ataulla Guerra, Charleston Battery – The forward scored the game-tying goal for the Battery while completing 86.1 percent of his passes on the night.
Upcoming Games:
Charleston Battery at Indy Eleven – May 30, 7 p.m. ET, Lucas Oil Stadium
Nashville SC at Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC – May 30, 7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium