Hartford Athletic Edged Out in Charleston By Superb Markanich Strike
The Charleston forward's excellent first-half goal was the difference between the two sides, as the game finished 1-0
A lackluster first half gave way to a much more enterprising second forty-five minutes but Hartford were unable to find the net for the second straight game, continuing their run of poor results at Patriot’s Point, where they have not secured a point in six attempts.
The Latics fell behind inside 15 minutes for the third straight game, as Nick Markanich continued his blistering start to the season with a spectacular finish from inside the box, following a corner kick. Renan Ribeiro, in action for Hartford for the first time this season; could do nothing about it as the Charleston forward netted his 12th goal in ten games.
The Battery controlled the game either side of Markanich’s strike, completing over 90% of their passes in the first half and maintaining nearly 70% possession. Hartford struggled to alleviate the pressure when it was able to get on the ball, managing only 33 touches in the Charleston half through the first 45 minutes.
Despite being on the back foot, the Latics should have equalized in the 43rd minute when Deshane Beckford played in Michee Ngalina who crossed the ball dangerously for Romario Williams. Unfortunately, the forward could only play the ball of his thigh onto the woodwork and their best chance of the first half went begging.
While Charleston fashioned a few more opportunities - the best of them falling to Juan David Torres, whose first touch took him wide when he was clean through, and allowed Jordan Scarlett to recover - there were no more goals in the first half and the teams headed down the tunnel with the score 1-0 to the Battery.
Both teams had opportunities in the opening five minutes of the second half, with Ngalina earning the first chance for Hartford only to be denied by Adam Grinwis, before Torres could only hit the post at the other end of the pitch. The Latics continued to be very much more in the game early in the second period, with two good chances falling to Marcus Epps before the hour mark.
In the last half hour, chances for either side were few and far between with the best one again falling to Torres, only for Ribeiro to deny him with a fine save. The Battery managed a few more tame efforts in regulation, as the sides headed into nine minutes of added time with the score unchanged.
Hartford threatened in extra time, with Michee Ngalina and Mamadou Dieng each getting two chances. Ngalina had a shot well saved from inside the box and then was almost put through in the 98th minute with the keeper out of position but he was unable to direct the ball on target. Dieng headed over from a cross as the final whistle blew and the home team secured all three points.
Despite the result, the Latics will take some comfort from a much-improved performance against one of the best teams in the league and will look to get back in the victory column next week when manager Brendan Burke’s former team Colorado Springs Switchbacks pays a visit to Trinity Health Stadium.