MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Second-seeded Charleston Battery used a late three-goal comeback, featuring three goals in a span of 17 minutes, to ultimately defeat sixth-seeded Hartford Athletic by way of penalty kicks (5-4) following extra time in the semifinal round of the United Soccer League Championship playoffs on Saturday night.
With the win, Charleston advances to the Eastern Conference Finals to face off against fourth-seeded Louisville City FC. Hartford sees their season come to a close following a historic run in 2026 that featured their second-straight trip to the Prinx Tires USL Cup Final and first-ever USL Championship postseason win.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Hartford wasted little time breaking the scoreless draw as Michee Ngalina corralled a deflection from long atop the box, firing a shot into the goal in the 13th minute to give Athletic a 1-0 edge,
- Just three minutes later, the Boys in Green doubled their lead as Barry Coffey finessed a loose ball deep in the box and pushed the rock past Luis Zamudio, marking a 2-nil advantage for Hartford.
- After a series of opportunities for Charleston, Hartford responded on a quick rush up field in the 31st minute as Junior Moreira shifted the ball off the leg of Sadat Anaku who potted his third goal of the USL Championship playoffs to mark a 3-0 score by the break.
- Charleston tried chipping away at the deficit, proving successful first on a penalty kick in the 80th minute that was put away by Emilio Ycaza, marking a 3-1 score. Just three minutes later, the hosts struck again as Colton Swan headed home a corner kick, cutting Charleston’s deficit to 3-2.
- In the 98th minute, Charleston knotted the score at 3-all as Kirill Pakhomov capitalized on a header thanks to a long pass from Nanan Houssou, forcing extra time.
- Extra time didn’t feature many chances outside of a grade-a opportunity by Augi Williams who was denied by a sliding Zamudio in the 116th minute.
- On penalty kicks, the two sides traded the first four scores, with Hartford’s coming off the feet of TJ Presthus, Jordan Scarlett, Samuel Careaga, and Michael Adedokun, respectively. In the fifth round, Williams was denied while Charleston cashed in to win it, 5-4.
- Hartford held a 7-6 edge in shots on target while Charleston held an 11-5 advantage in corner kicks. In goal, Antony Siaha made three saves.
NOTEWORTHY
- With the opening tally tonight, Ngalina became the all-time leading goal scorer in Hartford Athletic history, passing Mamadou Dieng with 24 goals in Hartford across all competition.
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