Palmetto State Report: April 23

Forrest Wimberly
4 days ago
3 min read

NATIONAL SOCCER NEWS: www.nationalsoccernetwork.com

Palmetto State Report: April 23

Soccer news from South Carolina

Heat remains undefeated after Marriott hat trick over Asheville FC

Tom Marriott is back. The fall 2024 USPL Golden Boot winner has recovered from his spring 2025 knee injury and back in form scoring multiple goals a game for the South Carolina United Heat. Marriott bagged his latest hat trick versus Asheville FC last Saturday and now has piled up 8 goals in his successful return to the pitch. The Heat travels to Anderson to face Electric City at 4 PM on April 25.

Battery earns 1-1 draw versus the Rowdies

It was a late goal by Douglas Martinez in the 82nd minute to salvage a draw versus the Tampa Bay Rowdies Saturday afternoon at the Point. Tampa took the lead in the 80th minute of the scoreless stalemate and the Battery immediately answered the visitor’s tally in the 82nd minute as Nathan Messer whipped in a driven corner kick that Martinez guided with his head up and over the Rowdies defense. Messer was named to the USLC Team of the Week for his performance. The Battery travel to Rhode Island for a mid-week clash before visiting Loudoun United on Saturday, April 25. Charleston currently sits in 4th place in the Eastern Conference on 10 points.

Soda City and Mint Hill share the points in 1-1 draw

Soda City and Mint Hill played to a 1-1 draw Sunday afternoon in Irmo. Joseph Davis was the goal scorer for Soda who stay undefeated and in second place in the UPSL Mid-Atlantic South table. Soda have 12 points from their six games played but trail the SC United Heat by 6 points due to three draws this season creating a three-way tie in second place with Mint Hill and the SC Surf. Soda plays away to Gastonia FC Striker on April 25 at 7 PM.

Surf pick up 1-0 win on the road in Charlotte

It was a 1-0 win for the South Carolina Surf on the road last weekend at Pre-College DA. Steven Rocca scored the goal over Pre-College DA and helped keep the Surf in a crowded second place in the conference with a 4W-1L-0T record. The Surf will host the NC Ballers on April 26 at 6 PM in their next match. Looking ahead, the Surf will host the Coastal Kings, Electric City, and Soda City over three consecutive weekends in May that will definitely determine their playoff standings.

Electric City downs Pre-College DA 2-0

Electric City picked up a much-needed win with a 2-0 result on the road at Pre-College DA last Sunday in the Charlotte suburbs. Kenneth Walton and Amourlaye Fondio scored the Electric goals to help the team move up from near the bottom of the table into 9th place. The win was the first USPL Premier victory for the club after their stellar promotion and winning record they posted in the Spring 2025 UPSL First Division season. The Premier conference games don’t get any easier from here as Electric will host the Heat on April 25 and still have dates versus the Surf, Mint Hill, and Coastal Kings on their schedule.

Triumph making solid progress on GE Vernova Park at BridgeWay

The new home of the Triumph and Liberty is taking shape in Mauldin as the new Greenville stadium progress was showcased on social media this past week. The field turf has just been installed, and every improvement gets the team a little closer to the first match at the new venue. Greenville will open the new stadium on Wednesday, June 3 against Forward Madison. Greenville will play one final home game on May 9 before GE Vernova opens in the Upstate as the Triumph hosts the Richmond Kickers at Historic Riggs Field in Clemson. The Triumph opens USL Cup action at Pittsburgh on April 25 at 7 PM.