Battery Rally in Second Half to Earn Point in 2-2 Hartford Draw

July 13, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Charleston Battery News Release

HARTFORD, Conn. – The Charleston Battery played Hartford Athletic to a dramatic 2-2 draw on Friday at Trinity Health Stadium. After being dealt a 2-0 deficit at halftime, Charleston clawed back to level the score in the second half thanks to goals from Nathan Dossantos and Nick Markanich. The Battery played up a man for most of the second half after Hartford was issued a red card. The result extends the Battery’s current unbeaten run to four matches.

It was a cagey start to the night as neither side saw clear opportunities materialize in the opening stages. Hartford’s two shots in the first 10 minutes were both blocked before they could reach goalkeeper Adam Grinwis.

The hosts managed to take a 1-0 lead with a goal from Mamadou Dieng in the 20th minute. Appeals for an offside call were made by several Battery players as Dieng appeared to be in an offside position before the ball ricocheted off his face and into the net, but no call was given.

Charleston looked to fight back for an equalizer but were unable to record more than one shot in the 20 minutes that passed after the opening goal. Hartford doubled their lead in the 43rd minute via Michee Ngalina.

The Battery trailed 2-0 into the break. Charleston’s offense was held largely in check with only four shots recorded while possession was evenly split.

Searching for a way back into the game, the Battery began the second half on the front foot. Leland Archer nearly pulled one back with a header that was saved and Arturo Rodriguez, who entered the match as play resumed, sent in a strike that was just tall of the crossbar.

The complexion of the match was altered in the 51st minute when Hartford goalkeeper Renan Ribeiro was shown a red card after two quick yellow cards for dissent, reducing Hartford to 10 men for effectively the entire second half. Goalkeeper Greg Monroe came off the bench and replaced Dieng to give the hosts a man in net.

With a one-man advantage, Charleston began to apply a heavy press on Hartford. Jackson Conway entered the match off the bench to give the Battery an additional attacking threat up top.

After several waves of pressure, the Battery broke through in the 70th minute when Nathan Dossantos scored off a rebounded ball in the box. A scrum was ensuing following a Charleston corner kick to clear out the ball and it ended up at Dossantos, who then sent the ball through traffic and into the net.

The goal…