Image by Charleston Battery O’Brian Woodbine scored the game winner at the 48 minute mark.
The Charleston Battery (8-3-3) retained top spot in the USL Second Division Friday night defeating the second place Richmond Kickers (6-4-4) 1-0 in front of 3,403 at Blackbaud Stadium in Charleston.
Read more stories on this subject in our Charleston Battery topic page. O’Brian Woodbine scored the game winner, his first for the Battery, but was ejected late in the game after receiving a second yellow card. John Wilson was also shown red for a tussle with Kickers striker Matt Delicate in injury time as the Battery finished the game with nine men on the field.
“The events that happened tonight weren’t great, but we got three points, which puts us five points ahead in the league and clear of Richmond,” said Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser.
Richmond’s first chance of the game came in the 19th minute when Stephen Nserko passed to forward Matthew Delicate who crossed the ball into the box, which proved too far for his fellow teammates.
Charleston retaliated shortly after with a long ball from the right sideline by Ian Fuller. Fuller found the head of forward Tom Heinemann, but the ball was grabbed just out of reach by Kickers’ goalkeeper Chase Harrison in the 20th minute.
Minutes later, a deflection from a Richmond defender gave Battery forward Lamar Neagle a shot from about 25 yards out but his well struck effort cannoned back of the crossbar.
Charleston scored the decisive goal in the 48th minute after Tom Heinemann beat Richmond’s defense to play a through ball to O’Brian Woodbine just inside the box. Woodbine split the defenders and hammered his shot home past Kickers goalkeeper Chase Harrison.
Midfielder Brandon Massie came close to putting in a second chance for the Battery when he crossed from the far right side to meet Heinemann for the header, but was kept out of reach by Harrison in the 50th minute.
The game took a strange turn after Woodbine was ejected in the 82nd minute for delay of game with the referee indicating that he did not take a throw-in fast enough. Then in stoppage time veteran defender John Wilson and Richmond forward Matt Delicate were both sent off as the teams tussled just outside the Battery penalty area.
The Battery will return to Blackbaud Stadium next Friday July 16th at 7:30 pm to take on the Real Maryland Monarchs.
Game stats
- Referee: Abbas Piran
- Assistant Referees: Agostino Minasola, Honorio Ojeda
- Attendance: 3,403
- Weather: Clear, 80
- Scoring Summary Goal (Assist) Minute
- Charleston Battery Woodbine (Heinemann) 48
Charleston Battery
Tim Melia, Nigel Marples, John Wilson, Colin Falvey, OBrian Woodbine, Brandon Massie (Zach Prince 71), Alioune Gueye, Ian Fuller (Kevin Jackson 65), Stephen Armstrong (Amaury Nunes 66, Josh Bolton 89), Tom Heinemann (Levi Coleman 87), Lamar Neagle
Players Not Used - Keith Wiggans, Jon Gruenewald
SHOTS: 7 (Neagle 3); SAVES: 2 (Melia 2); FOULS: 10 (Falvey 2); CORNER KICKS: 2; OFFSIDES: 1; PENALTY KICKS: (NONE); CAUTIONS: Woodbine 41, Armstrong 43; EJECTIONS: Woodbine 82, Wilson 90
Richmond Kickers
Chase Harrison, William Yomby, Henry Kalungi, David Hertel (Ross Mackenzie 87), Sasha Gorres, Luke Vercollone, Bobby Foglesong (Mike Burke 45), Stephen Nserko (Neil Barlow 76), Gerson DosSantos (Charlie Reiter 76), Edson Elcock, Matt Delicate
Players Not Used - Ronnie Pascale, Roger Bothe, Jon Villenveva
SHOTS: 5 (Elcock 2); SAVES: 3 (Harrison 3); FOULS: 8; CORNER KICKS: 5; OFFSIDES: 1; PENALTY KICKS: (NONE); CAUTIONS: Foglesong 43; EJECTIONS: Delicate 90
