Battery clinches 13th consecutive postseason berth
The Charleston Battery punched their ticket to a thirteenth consecutive postseason in a 2-0 victory over Miami FC Sunday night at Patriots Point. After brushing off a shaky start and a Miami side fighting to avoid elimination, the Battery took full control of the home pitch by the 20th minute to complete their sixth shutout win for the season and a berth to the USL Championship Playoffs.
The Battery’s playoff streak far outpaces any current USL Championship clubs’ playoff streak and stands for second longest postseason streak in professional North American soccer.
On the thirteenth year in a row making the postseason, Coach Mike Anhaeuser joked, “It’s a lucky number, huh?” Further adding, “Thirteen years in a row, it’s an incredible accomplishment. But this is about this team. The team’s playing well and we’re not done yet. We’re shooting for that top spot. We want to come out next week in our last home game here and hopefully have a playoff game at home. We want to keep it rolling. I’m proud of the guys for doing it, at the beginning of the season there were people thinking we wouldn’t finish in that top two.”
The win over Miami marked the 4th shutout for Battery keeper Joe Kuzminsky as he added two key saves on the evening to keep Miami off the board. Through 6 starts, Miami had been the only team to score on Kuzminsky to date.
Battery attacker Zeiko Lewis continued his team-leading scoring campaign with a beautiful goal in the 18th minute. On top of his sixth goal for the season, Lewis had two key passes and contributed solidly on the defensive side with two interceptions and eight recoveries. Nicque Daley added the second score after he intercepted an attempted defensive pass back to the keeper and scored off his own rebound.
Going nine games straight without a loss, the Battery are now back to just 3 points behind Group H leader Tampa Bay Rowdies with one game in hand. The final regular season match on October 3rd in Tampa Bay looks to be shaping up as a final fight for first place.