CHARLESTON, S.C. – The Charleston Battery recorded their third home win of the 2018 USL regular season on Saturday, earning a 2-0 victory against the Charlotte Independence at MUSC Health Stadium. Ataulla Guerra scored the game-winning goal in the 31st minute, hitting a right-footed blast past Independence goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra after receiving a cross from the left wing by Gordon Wild. Charleston had all of the better scoring chances throughout the 90 minutes of action, and with time winding down, substitute Victor Mansaray scored his first goal for the team to secure all three points. Charlotte, which went down to 10 men after Henry Kalundi was shown his second yellow card and a subsequent red card in the 78th minute, is now winless in four consecutive matches after starting the season 2-0-1. With the result, the Battery improve to 4-2-2 this campaign, while Charlotte falls to 2-3-2 in 2018.

• #CHSvCLT: Highlights and Opta Box Score

Scoring:

31’ – CHS – Ataulla Guerra (Gordon Wild)
87’ – CHS – Victor Mansaray (Kotaro Higashi)

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. In the Battery’s second game of their five-game home stretch, they recorded their second consecutive victory. After defeating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 1-0 on April 28 via a goal from Ataulla Guerra, the Battery recorded another win on Saturday via another game-winning goal from Guerra. The Trinidad & Tobago international has been a key piece of the puzzle for the Battery since joining the team in 2016, and if he continues performing at the same level, he’ll have his best campaign yet by year’s end.
• 2. Charlotte has a 1-4-1 all-time record against Charleston, with its last win occurring on April 16, 2016 – the first-ever meeting between the two sides. Last year, the Battery won all three meetings between the teams, and they will be looking to do the same this season after winning the first of three meetings in 2018. Charlotte’s woes are not exclusive against Charleston, however, as the team as failed to score a goal in its previous four matches. The team will look to improve at the Sportsplex at Matthews next weekend, when FC Cincinnati visits.
• 3. While Saturday’s meeting between the two Carolina-based teams was not technically a part of the Southern Derby – only the final two meetings, if three total are played in a season, count for the title between the Battery, Independence and North Carolina FC – the Battery showed why they are the favorites to win the title this year. While North Carolina FC and the Independence have struggled to start the season, Charleston has recorded a 4-2-2 record, winning three consecutive games while remaining unbeaten in five straight. Charleston and Charlotte will meet again on June 16.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Ataulla Guerra, Charleston Battery – The forward scored the game-winning goal for a second consecutive week and completed 92.3 percent of his passes on the night.

Upcoming Games:

Charleston Battery vs. Bethlehem Steel FC – May 12, 7 p.m. ET, MUSC Health Stadium

Charlotte Independence vs. FC Cincinnati – May 12, 7:30 p.m. ET, Sportsplex at Matthews