May 16, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The Charleston Battery triumphed 1-0 over Birmingham Legion FC on Wednesday at Protective Stadium. The hard-fought match was decided by Emilio Ycaza’s match-winning goal in the 61st minute. Goalkeeper Adam Grinwis tallied five saves en route to the Battery’s sixth shutout of the year in an all-around courageous effort from the shot-stopper. In league play, Charleston are now 11 games unbeaten and have won six consecutive matches.
The victory affirms Charleston’s spot atop the USL Championship and Eastern Conference standings.
It was an unvaried start to the night as neither side wanted to give way to the opposition. The first big chance of the game came in the 10th minute when Birmingham’s Dawson McCartney rocked a short-range shot off the post.
Nick Markanich recorded a shot on target minutes later but then neither side would record a shot again until the 40th minute.
Both teams had an opportunity to grab the lead before the break but the chances ended in shots over the crossbar. Stefano Pinho sailed one over the bar in the 40th minute from inside the box and Emilio Ycaza’s shot from inside the box in the 45th minute was too tall for the frame.
The match went into the break tied at 0-0. Charleston held roughly 66% of possession.
Legion FC came out of the interval inspired to break the deadlock. Enzo Martinez tested goalkeeper Adam Grinwis in the 47th minute with a shot from around the penalty spot, but Grinwis was there to make the save. Despite the hosts’ energy out of the break, the Battery began to apply more pressure as the half wore one.
Charleston broke open the game in the 61st minute after Ycaza capped off a sublime piece of skill by Mark Segbers to set up the goal. Segbers sliced his way through the Legion FC defense and played the ball to Ycaza, who broke free thanks to a dummy move by MD Myers to draw Birmingham’s attention toward him and away from Ycaza. From there, Ycaza finished off the chance with precision, giving the Battery a 0-1 lead.
The goal and assist were the second of the year for Ycaza and Segbers, respectively.
Birmingham began to press harder for an equalizer as the game neared a close. Grinwis, however, was up to the task and would make all five of his saves in the match during the second half.
Grinwis showed incredible courage in the final minutes of stoppage time by putting his body on the line to deny Legion FC a…