BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Coming off of a disappointing loss last week that saw the side concede three times, Charleston Battery Coach Mike Anhaeuser wanted his team to respond. Standing in the way of that were host Bethlehem Steel FC, which had bounced back itself a week ago with a strong offensive display.

A scoreless draw at Goodman Stadium left Anhaeuser happy enough, as his defense got back to its normal self against a strong Steel attack.

“Today, we were pretty much in control,” Anhaeuser said to USLsoccer.com as he reflected on the differences for his team between this week and last. “We didn’t let them get their guns going. We only gave them a few crosses. They didn’t have a breakaway until the 60th or 70th minute. Last week they, and Ayuk, had four or five. We had about 20 crosses and corners on the offensive side.

“It was a good turnaround from last week. We said we didn’t want to give up a goal, again, on the road. We didn’t want to give up easy goals. We talked about it all week.”

Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper had little to do for nearly 90 minutes, compared to the game his teammate Alexander Tambakis went through last week in Charlotte. Tambakis faced 10 shots on goal in the side’s 3-2 defeat to the Independence as the Battery were uncharacteristically sloppy at the back, one of which led directly to a goal.

Anhaeuser chalked up the easy day for his goalkeeper to players like fullback Quinton Griffith, who was pressed into action marking Ayuk.

“I moved Griffith from midfield last week to outside back,” said Anhaeuser. “He plays there for Antigua and Barbuda. I knew that mentally and physically he was ready for it. Really have to give him credit for a good game. He had a few one-on-one plays defensively and he did well with them.”

The outside back agreed with his coach’s perspective, saying that it fit well into his defensive mindset.

“As a defender I always look for the players who are shifty and quick,” Griffith said. “I just look for the ball and time it.”

Griffith, who has ascended to become his country’s captain with 46 caps to his credit since his senior debut in 2009, was also excited by the prospects of how he and his teammates reacted to the opportunity to wipe away last week’s loss.

“This week we decided we’re going to come out and press and play hard and we did,” Griffith said. “We’re looking forward to carrying this play into next week.”

Fellow defender Shawn Ferguson, commended as well by Anhaeuser for his solid match in the back, believed the shutout can help propel the Battery forward.

“We started off the season with a couple of shutouts,” Ferguson said. “I think getting back to the shutouts will help our team get back to it. We’re looking forward to going home. Things on the road haven’t gone right for us.”

Much like his players, Anhaeuser hopes that last week was an aberration, something that will be forgotten if the form seen in Bethlehem continues. However, while taking the positive play in stride, Anhaeuser noted his desire for the team to not to sigh in relief, but rather to focus on building upon the result.

“We’re happy we got the one point here,” Anhaeuser said, “but we had plenty of chances to get the full three points.”