After back to back weeks with weekday games, Hartford Athletic got a full week of training in before heading to Charleston for a matchup with the Battery on Saturday night.
PRESENTED BY TRAVELERS
Date: Saturday, July 16th, 2022
Time: 8:00 PM ET
Patriots Point Soccer Complex, Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina
Local TV: WCTX MyTV9
Streaming: ESPN+ or hartfordathletic.com/watch
HARTFORD ATHLETIC (4-10-4) vs CHARLESTON BATTERY (2-14-3)
LAST TIME OUT
Hartford Athletic are coming off a disappointing 3-2 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies at home last Saturday. The Green and Blue played some of their best soccer in the second half of the match, after going down 1-0 in the 36th on a Sebastian Dalgaard highlight-reel goal. Hartford tied the game on Danny Barrera’s first goal of the season in the 49th minute, with Ariel Martínez taking advantage of a Rowdies turnover to pick up the assist. Seven minutes later, Rashawn Dally gave Hartford the lead on a clinical finish off a feed from Barrera. In the following 30 plus minutes, Tampa Bay were the beneficiaries of two penalty kicks, as Leo Fernandes went two-for-two and recorded the game winner late in stoppage time.
TURNING THE PAGE
Hartford Athletic were in the driver’s seat on their way to pulling off a significant Eastern Conference upset against the Tampa Bay Rowdies last Saturday. Or at the very least, earning a point against a strong opponent. The Green and Blue held a 2-1 lead from the 56th minute to the 73rd, after Leo Fernandes’ scored his first penalty kick of the night after Tom Brewitt fouled Steevan Dos Santos in Hartford’s box. With the game still tied in the 90th minute, three minutes of stoppage time were added to the match. Just one minute after a Jordan Scarlett red card, Tampa Bay were awarded a second penalty kick at the 90’+5:55 mark of stoppage time. Fernandes finished the penalty, and a deserved point slipped away from Hartford. It’s a heavy page for the Green and Blue to turn, but they’ve had a full week of training to shift their focus to Charleston.
FOLLOW THE CAPTAIN
Danny Barrera recorded both his first goal and assist of 2022 last Saturday night. It was the strongest game of this season for the team captain, and it’s a great sign for Hartford’s hopes at a stronger run of form over the remaining 16 games. Barrera had the best season of his career in 2021 (eight goals, 12 assists), and the Green and Blue won a record 12 games despite missing the playoffs. He’s been involved in positive play for Hartford at times this year, as he leads the team in chances created (31), but it’s taken him longer than expected to be involved in a goal. The club’s best performances are largely consistent with Barrera’s, and a strong second half of the season for him may be the most essential piece to a run up the table for Hartford.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Hartford Athletic, Rashawn Dally, FW #18
Forward Rashawn Dally is on a quality stretch for Hartford Athletic as of late. He picked up two assists in the final weeks of June, and scored his second goal of the season last week in what was a clinical finish against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. Dally has been a frequent threat to score for the Green and Blue, attempting 13 shots and putting five on target. A higher conversion rate in the second half of the season for the Bloomfield, Connecticut native could be a massive boost for his club.
Charleston Battery, Augustine Williams, FW #9:
At just 24 years of age, Augustine Williams is already among the greatest goal scorers in the history of the USL Championship. The Sierra Leone national team member sits in the top 30 all-time with 43 goals across four different clubs, dating back to the start of his professional career in 2016. The Battery have been blanked in three straight outings, but Williams scored their last goal on Wednesday, June 29th while falling 4-3 to Atlanta United 2. The forward parked himself in the box and easily hit pay dirt on a one touch rebound in the 19th minute. He also assisted on the team’s second goal of the night in the 50th minute on a header that set up a one-touch blast from teammate Mauro Cichero. Williams leads the Battery this season with seven goals and is tied for first in assists with two.
ABOUT THE OPPONENT
Charleston Battery are coming off a 1-0 loss at The Miami FC on Wednesday. An early fourth minute goal from Miami’s Romeo Parkes lasted the following 86 minutes, as Charleston were shutout for a third straight match. The Battery have been on a poor run of form over the last month, losing five in a row and scoring just four goals across that stretch. Charleston also struggle with discipline, leading the league in yellow cards with 68. They are led offensively by Augustine Williams, who has seven goals on the year. Hartford are 2-4 all-time against the Battery, and they went 2-2 against them in four matchups in 2021.
INJURY REPORT
Hartford Athletic:
Out: Peter-Lee Vassell (Illness)
Charleston Battery:
Out: Andrew Booth, Kyle Holcomb, Joe Kuzminsky, Benji Ettienne, Mauro Cichero
Questionable: Pat Hogan
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