Charleston Battery went to the field at Patriots Point with one easy goal in mind: to earn their first three points of the season. And they succeeded. With a solid overall effort, the club won 2-0 over Rhode Island FC, by way of two Cal Jennings scores and a back line that went unblemished thanks to the mettle of goalkeeper Luis Zamudio.
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Other than the victory, the contest meant more for the team. Battery faced a team that had defeated them in last year's Eastern Conference Final. That rematch provided an extra level of motivation, according to head coach Ben Pirmann.
"Last year is done. They outplayed us and won the trophy, and we didn't. If we did need that as extra motivation this year, so be it."
The victory broke a two-game string of back-to-back draws between the clubs and represented Charleston's initial ever victory against Rhode Island FC.
A battle of control and supremacy
Charleston Battery started applying pressure in the higher regions, seeking to suffocate Rhode Island FC, which also received an early chance but was unable to seize it.
Battery, on the other hand, was clinical. In the 15th minute, a corner kick was the difference. Juan David Torres delivered a corner kick, Koke Vegas deflected it out, but Cal Jennings sprinted in, gained the ball, turned, and volleyed it in. 1-0, total control of the game.
The pace remained quick, and just as the halftime whistle was about to blow, the Torres-Jennings combination struck again. A weighted corner, a header to the near post, and 2-0 on the board. Rhode Island had no response.
Charleston continued to apply the pressure, and the defense was able to fend off any possibility of a comeback. When called into action, Luis Zamudio did his job, delivering the season's first clean sheet.
The turning point in the game
Two corner kicks finished the game, something head coach Ben Pirmann pointed out after the game: "Set pieces are a big portion of the game, 25 to 35% of goals are on restarts, so we scored one last week and two this week."
Other than set-piece chances, Battery's attack kept pushing in the second half. Torres and Jennings kept creating scoring chances, and Jennings nearly got his hat trick, but Vegas made a game-saving interception.
Johnny Klein created a fantastic bit of individual play in the 67th minute and came close to scoring the third. At the opposite end, he assisted in defense as well by clearing a shot from Rhode Island in the 77th minute, which Houssou Landry then cleared.
It was a strong team effort, according to Pirmann: "I thought our front four, Juan David, Cal, Douglas, were great tonight, and Johnny Klein. I thought they did a great job dictating the attacking midfield."
The first victory of the season is always welcome, but Charleston Battery wants more. As Pirmann noted, now it's all about being consistent and piling up the points.
"Last year at this point, we had two points. We just want to keep taking it away and get better."