CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery’s Ataulla Guerra tallied in the opening 20 minutes and his goal held up as Charleston defeated Bethlehem Steel FC 1-0 on Saturday at MUSC Health Stadium. For Guerra, it was his third tally of the season to tie for second on the squad with Forrest Lasso. Charleston played without striker Romario Williams who was out with an illness. This marked the second of a three-game home stand for Charleston, which improves to 5-1-1 (16 points) overall atop the Eastern Conference. The Battery are now 3-1-1 at home. Bethlehem played close with Charleston but ultimately fell to 0-2-0 on the road this season and 2-4-0 overall (6 points).

Scoring:
17’ – CHS – Ataulla Guerra (Heviel Cordoves)

#CHSvBST: Full match and Opta box score

Three Things That Mattered:

• 1. The Battery’s leading goal scorer Romario Williams (6 goals) was out with an illness this week, which meant someone else would need to pick up in the attack in his absence. Based on the buildup of the team’s opening goal for Ataulla Guerra, Charleston didn’t miss much of a beat. The Battery made their mark in the score sheet in the 17th minute as Quinton Griffith sped toward the end line to cross the ball from the right. Heviel Cordoves’ flicked header was redirected toward the left of the six-yard area and Guerra volleyed inside the left post for a 1-0 lead.

• 2. The second half turned into an effort to hang on for Charleston, while Steel FC had the clear possession edge and more shots on target than the host team. Ultimately, Steel FC won the possession advantage with a bit more than 52 percent of the ball. Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper finished with three saves for the clean sheet; he didn’t have too much to confront in the opening half against Steel FC.

• 3. Bethlehem struggled to generate much on the offensive end in the first half, with two of its better opportunities by virtue of first-half free kick opportunities just outside the box. Both chances were positioned just above the box, toward the right post. Seku Conneh attempted for goal in the 16th minute, hoping to drive his shot around Charleston’s five-man wall. He did, but pushed it wide of the frame as well. The second time around in the 27th minute, it was James Chambers who aimed for the left of his frame, but his attempt took a deflection off the Battery wall.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Ataulla Guerra, Charleston Battery – Guerra’s goal in the early going set the tone for an offense that was missing its star striker.

Upcoming Games:
Charleston Battery vs. Saint Louis FC – May 13, 7 p.m. ET, MUSC Health Stadium
Bethlehem Steel FC at Toronto FC II – May 13, 6 p.m. ET, BMO Field