OTTAWA – The Charleston Battery’s Heviel Cordoves scored in the 85th minute to earn his side a 1-1 draw with Ottawa Fury FC on Sunday afternoon in front of 5,587 fans at TD Place to officially book the Battery’s place in the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs. The draw also mathematically eliminated Fury FC from playoff contention. Ottawa took the lead in the 16th minute as a good move down the right saw Carl Haworth cut back a cross to Steevan Dos Santos. The Cape Verde forward’s first effort was blocked, but came back to him for a low shot that found the net. Chances in the first half were few, but Charleston almost equalized in stoppage time when Neveal Hackshaw’s flicked finish from a corner went off the crossbar, and the Battery were unable to take advantage of the rebound. Dos Santos almost doubled Ottawa’s lead early in the second half, firing wide of the left post from the top of the penalty area, and Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper made a good save to deny Adonijah Reid in the 54th minute. The Battery were reduced to 10 men in the 59th minute when Forrest Lasso was sent off for his second caution of the game, but Firy FC was unable to take advantage and with five minutes to go the Battery leveled as Cordoves flicked a pass by Romario Williams over his defender’s head and fired home a half-volley into the top-left corner from the left side of the penalty area. Fury FC pushed to try and keep themselves mathematically alive in the playoff race late, but the Battery held on to confirm their seventh trip to the USL Cup Playoffs.

Scoring:
16’ – OTT – Steevan Dos Santos
85’ – CHS – Heviel Cordoves (Romario Williams)

• #OTTvCHS: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. For the first few months of the season, it was Romario Williams who had carried the Charleston Battery’s attack. Since the start of August, the mantle has been taken up by Heviel Cordoves, whose sensational goal late on in Sunday’s clash earned the Battery a point, clinched a place in the postseason, and moved the side into second place in the USL Eastern Conference at the end of the weekend. The Cuban forward has been in tremendous form of late, scoring in four consecutive games to move to seven goals for the season. Down to 10 men, the Battery needed a moment of late brilliance. Cordoves provided it.  

• 2. Things were looking bleak for Fury FC’s chances at a place in the USL Cup Playoffs after Wednesday night’s defeat, and on Sunday the final blow came down on the side’s season as it was mathematically eliminated from postseason contention. Sunday’s performance was far brighter than against the Harrisburg City Islanders on Wednesday night, but the side’s continued inability to record a clean sheet – its last coming on July 29 against Toronto FC II – proved its undoing as the side remained winless under interim Head Coach Julian de Guzman.

• 3. Maybe the most disappointing performance for Fury FC on Wednesday night was that of forward Steevan Dos Santos, who didn’t register a shot and failed to register a touch in the opposing penalty area against the City Islanders before being substituted. The Cape Verde forward looked much more like his regular self on Sunday, however, and his ninth goal of the season set a new Fury FC club record for regular-season goals. While it came too late to save Ottawa’s playoff hopes, it did give the home fans something to potentially look forward to in 2018 in the side’s penultimate game of the season.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Heviel Cordoves, Charleston Battery – Cordoves continued his scoring streak – which now sits at five goals in the past four games – to earn the Battery their place in the postseason with some more late dramatics.

Upcoming Games:
Ottawa Fury FC vs. FC Cincinnati – October 8, 2 p.m. ET, TD Place
Charleston Battery vs. Harrisburg City Islanders – October 7, 7 p.m. ET, MUSC Health Stadium