CHARLESTON, S.C. – It was a tense past weekend in the USL Eastern Conference as the top three in the standings all dropped points, making a tight race to the USL Cup Playoffs even tighter.

Among the surprise losses was the Charleston Battery's 3-1 defeat to the Richmond Kickers at City Stadium, which saw the Battery squander an early lead to their longtime rival. But that result sets up a thrilling encounter for the Battery as they face the top side in the Eastern Conference in Louisville City FC on Saturday night at Slugger Field.

Despite the disappointing result against the Kickers, which marked the first time the side had lost to Richmond since July, 2014, there is still belief at the Battery that they can top the Eastern Conference. A win on Saturday would pull them level on points with Louisville, possibly pushing them in to a three-way tie for first place.

“We always have confidence, with these next couple of games, there aren’t many left in the season, if we want a chance at that we have to start this weekend,” said Battery midfielder Justin Portillo. “We have to go there and get three points. We’re closer to the playoffs, so we need to make sure we get through these next few matches.”

“We’ve always felt [confident],” agreed Head Coach Mike Anhaeuser. “Obviously we had a dip here, and we’ve had a tough stretch, but if we can keep things going like a couple of the other teams have there’s no reason we can’t finish top. It’s not as easy as it was six or eight weeks ago but you’ve always got to be thinking you can top the East, and you’ve obviously got to beat Louisville in Louisville and that’s all we’re focusing on. If we can do that, we take one step. That won’t be the job done, we’ll have to do some other things but it would be a great step and we should be one of the top two teams.”

That dip has been noticeable, with Charleston winning just one match in the last nine, but it’s been a season of streaks for the Battery. Through the first 10 matches of the season the Battery were undefeated before another seven-match unbeaten run that came to the current downturn in form. The Battery certainly are capable of another run, even with the added pressure of the end of the regular season.

“We know we can do it,” said Anhaeuser. “If we’re playing properly we’re in good shape. This is a big game because if we can get a win we would tie Louisville, no matter what happens in the Charlotte game. We want to have a good result, because that’s always important, and if you don’t you might be battling for a lower seed or that last home playoff spot.”

A home match in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals of the USL Cup Playoffs will be vitally important for Charleston, which has a much stronger home record (7-1-5) than on the road (4-5-3).

“We know at home we’re real comfortable, we usually get good results here,” said Portillo. “But we know to be a championship team you have to get results on the road. We approach every game with the same mentality, but at home you can get away with a lot more things than you can on the road. On the road it’s about being sharp for 90 minutes and following the game plan, that’s what we need to do for the rest of the season.”

READ MORE: USL Race for the Playoffs – Aug. 31-Sept 3

The task of improving that road record will begin on Saturday in what is sure to be an attacking match, with both sides capable of big goal totals. Louisville sits fourth in the USL with 44 goals, while the Battery are fifth with 42, with those totals including a phenomenal 4-4 draw when these two sides played on June 3 at MUSC Health Stadium. The Battery held a two-goal lead late in that contest, only for Louisville to rally for a point in what was one of the best games of the regular season so far.

“That would have been a big win for us,” said Anhaeuser. “But you have to give them credit, they kept their foot on the gas, and some calls and bounces went their way. What we’re saying is we want to go up there and kind of mirror it, if we can get one goal and keep them shut out, which is hard up there, we want to do it, but if we have to get two or three goals we will.

"We’re an offensive team who likes to get forward and we want to do that, that’s when we’re at our best, but so are they. It should be a great game."