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Anhaeuser Disappointed after Southern Derby Draw

By JOHN ARLIA - john.arlia@uslsoccer.com, 09/20/18, 8:33AM EDT

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Battery Head Coach rued his side's inability to put the game away against rivals Charlotte

CHARLESTON, S.C. – For the third time in four games, the Charleston Battery surrendered a lead and came away with just a single point as the hosts played out a 1-1 draw against the Charlotte Independence in the Southern Derby on Wednesday night at MUSC Health Stadium.

Battery Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser was disappointed in his side’s inability to “put the game away” after taking the lead in the ninth minute when Nico Rittmeyer volleyed home his fourth goal of the season. However, Ian Svantesson couldn’t convert a first-half penalty to double the hosts’ advantage and the visitors made the most of the opening in the 69th minute when Jorge Herrera converted a spot kick of his own to equalize, leaving Anhaeuser and his side to rue two more dropped points.

“We did well there, we pushed and got the goal early,” Anhaeuser said. “Then we had the opportunity to go up 2-0, but we just couldn’t put the game away and it kind of made the night stale. You have to give credit to them because they kept pushing. I thought that if we could get the second one maybe they would fold, but they got the equalizer. In the end it came down to a chance here and a chance there. We had one and they had one, so either team could have taken the three points.”

A victory would have kept Charleston level on points with second-place Louisville City FC, which got back in the win column on Wednesday night with a 3-0 road victory over Penn FC. Instead, the Battery saw a penalty save potentially cost it two points for the second time this season. Ataulla Guerra also saw a spot kick saved in the Battery’s 0-0 draw with Ottawa Fury FC back in May as goalkeeper Maxime Crepeau guessed the right way and reacted quickly to keep out the rebound as well on his way to earning USL Save of the Week honors.

While those four dropped points are currently the difference from his side potentially hosting two games in the 2018 USL Cup Playoffs instead of one, Anhaeuser said that Wednesday’s result wasn’t decided solely by the spot kick.

“Penalties swing momentum one way or the other,” Anhaeuser said. “I’m happy we created it. That means we’re getting into the box. It’s disappointing that Ian didn’t score, but you can’t look at the game that way. Obviously, we were still winning and we could have won the game if we kept a shutout or gotten another goal in the second half.”

Charleston will try to get back to winning ways when it travels to First Tennessee Park on Saturday night to take on Nashville SC in a pivotal game on both ends of the Eastern Conference playoff picture. The Battery will try to gain ground as it searches for a top-two finish, while Nashville looks to rebound from a 2-1 defeat to the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Tuesday night as it pushes for the eighth and final playoff spot.

Anhaeuser now has the difficult task of trying to accumulate as many points as possible over the team’s final five games, while also giving some players some rest during a busy stretch of the schedule with the postseason approaching quickly. With leading scorer Guerra set to serve the last of a three-game suspension, the side won't be at full strength in the Music City, but Anhaeuser will be looking for a positive reaction after a disappointing night.

“We’re going to rotate the squad,” said Anhaeuser. “We’ve done it before. We have three more games now in nine days, so we have to make sure that we use all of our players. They have to come out and be ready to perform. We’re going to use everybody and they have to be ready to go.”

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