Battery, Louisville Draw 1-1 After Controversial Ending

By: Battery Media

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (August 10th, 2023) – The Charleston Battery played Louisville City FC to a rainy 1-1 draw at Lynn Family Stadium on Wednesday. After going down 1-0, Emilio Ycaza scored the equalizer in the 80th minute to steal a point from the hosts. Leland Archer appeared to score the winner in stoppage time but the goal was chalked off to the dismay of the entire squad and staff.

Charleston looked to establish their game along both flanks early, with Pierre Reedy on the left and Beto Avila on the right making strong runs into Louisville’s defensive third. Both sides were strong defensively early on and there wasn’t a shot on target registered in the first half.

Rain began to pour midway through the half and only came down harder as the game wore on. The new and slick conditions forced both teams to adjust their approach, with chances becoming increasingly limited.

The Battery and LouCity went into the break tied at 0-0.

Play resumed in the second half with the rain falling steadily. Despite the weather, both teams began to turn up the tempo and the first shot on target of the night came in the 50th minute via Beto Avila.

LouCity managed to strike first in the 68th minute when Cameron Lancaster found the back of the net.

Charleston, the league’s top road team and leader in points won from losing positions, were not deterred by the 1-0 scoreline against them. The introduction of Fidel Barajas, Robbie Crawford and Tristan Trager off the bench allowed the Battery to gain momentum in the final third in search of an equalizer.

After a series of strong movements on offense, the Battery leveled the score in the 80th minute through Emilio Ycaza’s first-time strike inside the box. Fidel Barajas sent a cross to Ycaza for his eighth assist of the year, the most in the USL Championship. The goal was Ycaza’s first with the Battery.

Confusion and controversy struck in stoppage time when Leland Archer appeared to score the match-winner in the 93rd minute. Archer redirected Crawford’s corner kick to the near post, but the goal was chalked off for a foul assessed to him. The Battery pled their case for no foul but the call stood and the final whistle blew seconds later, resulting in the points being shared in the 1-1 draw.

Charleston’s resilient comeback raised their points gained from losing positions to 15, the most in the league. They additionally added to their league-leading 22 points won in road matches this year.

The Battery’s record now stands at 11W-6L-7D (40 pts), placing them second in the Eastern Conference standings.

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