The Charleston Battery dominated Indy Eleven for a 1-3 road victory on Saturday at Carroll Stadium. MD Myers bagged a brace within the first 10 minutes of action and Arturo Rodriguez scored right after halftime to put the game to bed early. The result extended Charleston’s winning streak in USL Championship play to three games, and was their first road victory of the season.
Charleston came out of the gate firing and on the front foot. Juan David Torres and Cal Jennings nearly connected in the 2nd minute, but Jennings’ header went fractionally wide of the frame.
It was MD Myers who put the Battery ahead in just the 4th minute, 0-1. The play was initiated by Houssou Landry after collecting a poorly cleared ball, he then passed it to Torres at the edge of the penalty arc. Torres slipped the ball to Myers in the box and the striker completed the run with a superb left-footed strike past goalkeeper Hunter Sulte.
Torres’ assist brought his team-leading total to three.
The Battery’s offense showed no signs of slowing up and were already hunting again for a second tally.
Myers was the man of the moment again and scored his second goal in the 8th minute to double the Battery’s lead, 0-2. Torres initiated the play this time with a long ball from about 40 yards out to Jennings, who managed to pop the ball up with his head toward Myers. Myers’ fortuitous run alongside Jennings enabled him to redirect the ball into the net uncontested.
Jennings was credited for the assist, his first of the year.
The early brace meant Myers picked up where he left off after his hat trick in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday. At the time of his second goal, Myers had found the back of the net five times in his last 81 minutes of action.
Myers’ goal total now stands at three in league play and six across all competitions so far.
On the opposite end, goalkeeper Luis Zamudio made his first save of the night in the 16th minute, denying Edward Kizza from inside the box.
Myers appeared to have bagged his second hat trick of the week in the 33rd minute when he made a well-timed run and put the ball in the back of the net, but his run was ultimately too good and he was flagged for offside after starting to celebrate.
Charleston’s command of the game persisted until the halftime whistle and they took the 0-2 lead into the break. The Battery held roughly 63% possession and out-shot Indy six (three on target) to four (two on target).
The break at halftime was just a brief pause in Charleston’s dominance over Indy, as the Battery resumed overwhelming the hosts once the second half kicked off.
Arturo Rodriguez added to the Battery’s lead in the 49th minute with a sensational strike from outside the box to make the score 0-3. Aaron Molloy set up Rodriguez off a throw-in from Indy’s defensive third, and Rodriguez took a few touches to get himself in position for a shot from the left corner of the 18-yard box. Indy appeared caught off guard by Rodriguez’s intentions as he unleashed a comet to the upper corner of the far post.
The goal and assist were the first of the year for Rodriguez and Molloy, respectively.
With the 0-3 lead in hand, the Battery looked to tighten their grip on the match, and Indy were forced into desperate shots to try to get back into the game. The hosts did not record a shot on target in the second half until the 85th minute.
The center-back tandem of Joey Akpunonu and Leland Archer anchored the defense and both players made critical interventions to keep Indy off the board. Archer made a crucial step to break up a cross in the 73rd minute that would’ve given Indy a clear tap-in goal, and Akpunonu blocked Jack Blake’s shot with his chest in the 79th minute.
In stoppage time, Zamudio made a stellar save in the 93rd minute to deny the hosts. Indy, however, managed to pull back a consolation goal in the 94th minute via Elvis Amoh.
Charleston saw out the 1-3 win after the final minutes of stoppage time played out. It was the Battery’s third consecutive win in league play.
The result advances Charleston’s record to 4W-2L-0D (12pts), placing them fourth in the Eastern Conference.
It is also the Battery’s second consecutive win at Carroll Stadium, a notable turnaround after being winless in the first four all-time away matches against Indy. In the last three meetings between Charleston and Indy, the Battery have outscored 12-3 across three wins.
Myers’ six goals makes him the team’s new scoring leader across all competitions, while Jennings is still the team’s leader in league goals (five). Myers also now has four goals across three career games against Indy since 2024.
Jennings’ assist extends his streak of games with a goal contribution to five matches (five goals, one assist).
Rodriguez enjoyed a productive day on both sides of the ball, tallying a goal, a perfect 10/10 ground duels won (match-high), six recoveries, two tackles won and one chance created.
The tandem of Archer and Akpunounu combined for 15 clearances, 10 duels won, seven recoveries, three tackles won and two blocks.
Head Coach Ben Pirmann and forward Cal Jennings discussed the win after the final whistle, with key quotes to follow.
Coach Pirmann on his overall assessment of the match…
We were about as good as you can be. We moved the ball very well against a very good team. We created loads of chances. We deserved to be up by three, and then we just tanked at the last 20 minutes, and Indy held on until late.
We deserved to win the game, [but] we turned something that should have been super comfortable into something not as comfortable. But, what we told the team after the game was, ‘At the end of the day, you went on the road to a good team, a good opponent, tough environment, and you had a significant victory.’ That’s what it’s about. I was proud of the group, and now we just have to refocus on Tuesday and get better.
Coach Pirmann on what worked well early on against Indy…
I think the way we move the ball can move some opponents around. If we can break a line or two, whether we go around them or go through them, then I think we can be really dangerous getting behind our opponent.
You saw one play the counter press, Houssou wins it, Juan David turns, and we slide a through ball, which has happened a lot, and a good finish. And then, the next one, we break a line and we chip a through ball from Torres to Jennings, who squares it off to MD. So, we’re getting in spots where we’re breaking lines and having good, high percentage, penetrating passes. So, when that happens, the more open that happens, the more we can create chances and get our counterpress going.
What we have to make sure we improve is defending the depth, defending long balls, defending the outside edges, especially against teams like Indy, who have good midfielders and defenders that can drive balls there. They obviously have very fast players and good players. Disappointing finish, but at the end of the day, you win 1-3 on the road. For being dominant for 70% of the game, is satisfactory. Now, we just have to get better.
Coach Pirmann on the recent successes on offense…
MD’s got five goals in the last two matches. I think Cal was in the top couple in the league at one point, scoring goals. For me, I don’t care who scores, I just care that we are scoring and that we’re creating chances, because with the group that we have, if we move the ball selflessly, work very, very hard and intensely, with intensity out of possession, then we’re going to score goals.
We have a good group. We put them in good spots. I told Cal when he subbed off tonight, ‘Hey, I know you didn’t score, but I thought you played well because your defensive intensity was A-plus.’ I know strikers always want to score; if they don’t score, they think they had a bad game. He got the assist for MD, he freed up spaces for other players and made life difficult. So, I’m very, very proud of MD, but for me, it’s more important that the team as a whole continues to score, I don’t really care who does it.
Jennings on his immediate takeaways from the victory…
I think anytime you get a couple of goals that early, that gives you a lot of momentum, gives you confidence on the ball, and I felt like we kept our composure and our foot on the gas, especially in that first 70 minutes. So, I really think it was a group effort tonight.
Knowing that [Indy] played a few days ago and we played on Tuesday, I think both squads were going to have a little bit of tired legs, but we had to keep our minds in it and we had to at least match the intensity. Then from there, our quality set in and we saw that tonight on the field, and it’s only going to get better.
We always want to string together as many results as possible. It’s great to see we’ve gotten a couple of really good results and performances in a row. And then also, just looking back at the fact it’s very difficult to travel and be on the road, especially in this league, anytime you can pick up all three points is massive and moves us in the right direction.
Jennings on his developing strike partnership with Myers…
I think MD and I have a great relationship so far, and it’s only going to get better. It was awesome to see him get on the scoresheet again tonight, two goals to help lead us to a win. And honestly, it’s been fun to learn how to position off each other, how we can combine a little more, and I’m happy to get an assist for him tonight as well.
It’s nice because we can both threaten in behind. MD is a better hold-up player than I am, but that helps me be a little more free to find spaces, find good runs, and then read off of him.
Charleston’s next game will be away in the USL Jägermeister Cup against USL League One leaders FC Naples on April 26. The Battery’s next home match is on Sat., May 3, against Hartford Athletic. Tickets for that May afternoon game are on sale now via SeatGeek.com, the club’s exclusive digital ticketing provider.
Lineups and Scoring Summary
Lineups
CHS: Zamudio, Dossantos, Akpunonu, Archer, Blackstock (Allan, 65’), Rodriguez (Ycaza, 65’), Houssou (Segbers, 79’), Molloy, Torres (Drack, 90’), Myers, Jennings (Klein, 80’)
IND: Sulte, Musa, Hogan (Ofeimu 60’), White, Stanley (McRobb 60’), Murphy, Quinn, Rendon (Collier, 60’), Blake, Kizza (Amoh 69’), Foster (Lindley, 81’)
Scoring Summary
CHS – MD Myers (Juan David Torres), 4’
CHS – MD Myers (Cal Jennings), 8’
CHS – Arturo Rodriguez (Aaron Molloy), 49’
IND – Elvis Amoh, (James Musa), 90’+4
