MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – In thrilling fashion, Hartford Athletic came back to defeat Charleston Battery 2-1 in United Soccer League Championship play thanks to two second-half goals, including a stoppage-time winner by Barry Coffey, which marked his third goal in as many matches.
With his six-save win, Antony Siaha surpassed the 350-career saves plateau in USL Championship regular season action, becoming just the 12th goalkeeper all-time to do so.
With the crucial win, Hartford adds another three points to their arsenal with a 7-5-9 (W-L-D) overall record. Charleston sinks to 12-8-3 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Charleston Battery carried the pace of play early, nicking three shots on target within the first 22 minutes with all three being swallowed up by Siaha. However, the hosts rippled twine in the 29th minute as a nifty set play off of a corner kick resulted in a wide-open shot for Kirill Pakhomov, who scored to give Charleston a 1-0 lead.
- In the 37th minute, Michee Ngalina had a fast-break try denied by an aggressive goalkeeper play, keeping the score at 1-nil. After another two tries on target by Charleston to start the second half, Ngalina was awarded a penalty kick in the 75th minute. Ngalina found the back of the net on the left side of the keeper, knotting the score at 1-all.
- The two teams battled defensively in the late going before in the 97th minute, a free kick for Hartford landed on the head of Coffey in the middle of the box with the midfielder chipping in the rock to give Athletic a 2-1 edge.
SERIES NOTES
- Tonight marked the 15th all-time meeting between the two teams and the first victory for Hartford over Charleston since 2022.
NEXT UP
- Hartford Athletic travels to Detroit City FC on Saturday, September 5th, for a 7:00 p.m. kickoff.
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