Battery Slips Past Monterey Bay 1-0
The Charleston Battery saw a goal from Camilo Sanchez and a clean sheet from Daniel Kuzemka as they defeated visiting Monterey Bay FC 1-0 Saturday night at Ralph Lundy Field at Patriots Point. Sanchez was making his home debut for the club and subbed in during the second half while Kuzemka was making his first appearance since 2024 and made three saves to earn the shutout.
Charleston with the win clinches a 2026 playoff spot. Over the final regular season matches the Battery will look to claim a home playoff match with a finish in one of the top four spots in the conference.
“I didn't even know (that the Battery had clinched a playoff spot) until they just put it on the board,” said Battery Head Coach Ben Pirmann. “That's good. I mean, look, that's the standard that we want, and we want to get the highest we can go. For us, we're just focused one game at a time. To do it with five games left, shows we've been a really strong club in our four years. People like Rob Salvatore and Lee Cohen, who probably don't really get the credit they deserve, and our owner, Larry Guffey, they put their time and resources into it.”
“This is for our fans,” finished Pirmann. “The players do it. But, as I mentioned, it's a whole community, a whole club. So proud of the boys, proud of the club, proud of the community. Now five more regular season games, keep going.”
The match was a very even affair in the first 45 minutes as both teams traded attacks and defensive stops to send the game scoreless to the halftime break.
Monterey Bay emerged from the break the stronger side and tested Kuzemka in the Battery nets forcing a pair of saves in the opening minutes of the second half. Recent signing Columbian forward Camilo Sanchez entered the match in the 59th minute making his home debut after playing his first Battery match last week in Birmingham as the match momentum turned towards the hosts.
Sanchez scored his goal in the 78th minute as he deftly flicked the ball with his right foot into the Monterey Bay net. Jeremy Kelly served in a driven corner kick to the top of the six-yard box where Sanchez fought off his mark to apply the final touch to guide the ball home. Kelly now has nine helpers on the USLC season putting him in first place in the USLC Golden Playmaker Award.
“First, I want to say, thanks God for the night today,” said new Battery forward Camilo Sanchez. “For Him, I'm doing this [goal]. I'm happy. I'm happy for the [goal]. Finally, I can play at home. The only thing I can say is this is God’s time, because I waited so much, and the people close to me, they know like how many time I wait for that. I believe so much in God, and today, He give me the victory and the goal for everyone here.”
“I don't know if you know, but I have like three months [getting] ready, training for the team,” continued Sanchez. “So they know how is my performance, so they know how I play. So when I come inside, I only want to give my best always for the club, and then we go for now.”
The Battery have earned 43 points (13W-8L-4T) this season and play host to Rhode Island FC on September 26 at 7 PM. The Battery sits in second place in the Eastern Conference 8 points behind league-leaders Tampa Bay and 3 points ahead of third-place Detroit City.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PREMIER MEDIA GROUP / NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK /
NATIONAL SOCCER NETWORK ON FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61561215500230
— All Rights Reserved, Premier Media Group / National Soccer Network
Comments