CHARLESTON, Sc. – Saint Louis FC drew 0-0 against the Charleston Battery in front of 1,879 fans at MUSC Health Stadium in Match 10 of the USL Championship regular season.
Saint Louis FC earned their fifth clean sheet of the season and a point on the road which improves the team to 5-1-3 with 18 points while Charleston moves to 4-1-4 with 16 points in the USL Championship Eastern Conference. The team will now travel to face Des Moines Menace in the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night before traveling to Louisville City FC in the league next Saturday.
The first half saw Saint Louis FC come out strongly with a majority of their chances created during the first ten minutes. The first arrived in the 2nd minute as Russell Cicerone was played behind the defense but his shot was saved by Charleston Battery goalkeeper Joe Kaminsky. Lewis Hilton then had a chance from a free kick just outside the box in the 4th minute but it was also collected by Kaminsky before Albert Dikwa picked out Kyle Greig with a cross in the 10th minute but his volley went narrowly wide. Charleston would grow into the game for the remainder of the half and their first chance came in the 29th minute as Arthus Bosua got on the end of a bouncing ball in the box but his header flashed wide of the near post. The final chance of the first half fell to Dikwa as he was picked out at the top of the box by Cicerone but his first-time shot was cleared by the Charleston defense to remain 0-0 going into the halftime break.
The second half saw Fenlason called into action early as Zeiko Lewis hit a volley from outside the box that looked destined for the top corner in the 54th minute. STLFC would respond with a counter in the 61st minute as Dikwa crossed to Greig but his header would land on top of the net. The final chance of the game would also fall to Greig in the 80th minute as he took a left-footed shot from outside the box but it was saved by Kaminsky to see both sides finish level.
“I thought the guys put in a very disciplined performance tonight at a tough venue,” said STLFC Head Coach Anthony Pulis. “We played some good football at times and created some decent openings, but we just lacked the cutting edge in the final third. Their attitude and work ethic was excellent again. Now we have to recover quickly and get ready for a tough [U.S. Open Cup] game on Wednesday night.”
UPCOMING MATCHES:
Saint Louis FC at Louisville City FC – Saturday, May 18th at 6:00 p.m. CT at Slugger Field
Charleston Battery vs. Indy Eleven – Saturday, May 18th at 6:30 p.m. CT at MUSC Health Stadium
