Battery case 0-1 against rowdies after the battle in St. Petersburg

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The battery fell 1-0 on Friday night after a highly competitive battle against the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium. Strong performances by goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky and the Battery defense unit kept the top team in the league in check throughout the game, but a penalty conversion in the 68th.

First half:

The first half was goalless after Battery goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky put in a strong effort to keep the relationship going. Kuzminsky made a save with his right foot in the 9th minute to prevent Sebastian Guenzatti from scoring an early goal. The battery defense was strong again in the 27th minute when Tampa Bay lingered in the 18-yard room preventing the rowdies from converting. The threat was finally dispelled when a shot from Leo Fernandes went over the bar. The rowdies almost got through just before half-time when a header from Jordan Scarlett almost found space just below the crossbar. However, Kuzmisnky’s reach was just enough to push the ball over the net and out of danger.

Tampa Bay retained possession up to halfway by a 67.1% majority, knocking out Charleston 8-0 but unable to find the back of the net. One of Charleston’s best chances came in the 11th minute when Nicque Daley forced his way into the box but failed to shoot in a dangerous position. Battery striker Stavros Zarokostas left the game with an obvious injury after 23 minutes and was replaced by Joel Bunting.

Second half:

The battery went vigorously from half-time when Nicque Daley fired the team’s first shot in the 47th minute, but it was blocked before it could reach the goalkeeper. Charleston’s adjustments were obvious as the Black and Yellows retained more possession and made more progress within the attacking third. The battery held the majority of possession for the entire second half at 52.4%.

The defining moment of the game came when the rowdies were awarded a penalty after Leland Archer was called in the penalty area in the 67th minute for a foul on Jordan Adebayo-Smith of Tampa Bay. Guenzatti scored the penalty in the following minute and converted the hosts to a 1-0 lead. Undaunted, the Battery struck back with an immediate counter-attack that saw Burke Fahling find Bunting in the penalty area, but Bunting’s attempt to equalize went over the bar. The rest of the half went on defensively as neither side could convert the second goal of the night.

Battery defender AJ Paterson spoke about the strength of the team’s defense on the night.

“I think as a unit we were able to work together and slow their attacks,” said Paterson. “They have thrown numbers up and are a strong attacking team, but it was unfortunate with the penalty. We went out and defended hard, we defended well and that one simple mistake cost us the game. “

The squad will seek to capitalize on the positive aspects of this game and build on them for the next three games in Tampa Bay.

“We knew what they were going to bring and we have to play them again this season so let’s clean that up and look forward to our next game and the next time we see them,” said Paterson.

The batteries are shaking off the loss with a view to returning to Patriots Point next Wednesday, July 7th, as they welcome Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC to the Lowcountry for the first time since 2019.

The post Battery case 0-1 against rowdies after the battle in St. Petersburg first appeared on Daily Florida Press.

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