Once again, Oakland Roots can be proud of delivering a gutsy performance in an away match against a quality opponent.
But the club will also feel a sense of disappointment of having the three points slip away from them in their 3-3 draw with Charleston Battery at Patriots Point on Saturday night.
Roots came out with an experimental lineup, with EJ Johnson earning his first start in USL Championship play since the second week of the season. Panos Armenakas lined up at the center back position and Peter Wilson was restricted to second half action in his return to the club after getting married last week.
All of these players would be key to Oakland’s goalscoring success.
Charleston Dominates First Half, But Signs of Hope for Roots
Charleston had won every home match since their home opener on March 8 and they appeared to be poised to continue this streak, dominating possession in the first 20 minutes of the match. But Oakland goalkeeper Kendall McIntosh made several key saves to keep them off the scoreboard.
The first came in the 7th minute, as MD Myers’ one-timer from point blank range bounced off of McIntosh’s chest.
The second came in the 20th minute, when Emilio Ycaza found an opening from the top of the penalty area, but McIntosh went to ground quickly to deflect his shot away.
The host side broke through in the 26th minute, as the league’s leading scorer, Cal Jennings, scored his 15th of the season. Nathan Dossantos made his run down the left sideline, dribbled into the box, and crossed the ball to Jennings at the far post.
Charleston appeared to be on the verge of a second goal in the 35th minute, when McIntosh was down after a collision with a Charleston attacker. Graham Smith headed the ball toward the net, but Neveal Hackshaw was able to direct it over the bar for a corner kick.
As the half wore on, two of Charleston’s key defenders received yellow cards: Houssou Landry (28th minute) and Joey Akpunonu (38th minute). Both players later made hard tackles that caused the Oakland bench to complain that they should get a second yellow and be tossed out of the match.
Oakland got a big break in the 4th minute of first half stoppage time. Armenakas rushed over to challenge for a ball that Ycaza had lost in the box. Ycaza took him down from behind and the referee immediately pointed toward the spot.
Johnson stepped up to take the spot kick, approached the ball then paused, until goalkeeper Luis Zamudio revealed his intention of diving to his left. Johnson did the opposite, to tie the score at 1-1.
Wilson Steps Up in the Second Half
Wilson replaced Johnson to start the second half.
Charleston retook the lead with a goal 43 seconds into the second half. Langston Blackstock beat Armenakas to the ball near the right touchline. Blackstock chased down the ball and fired a cross that met Myers as he sprinted into the six yard box. Myers lifted his leg to redirect the ball downward and into the net.
And just when Roots desperately needed an offensive infusion, along came Wilson, scoring a brace thanks to two goals in a little over 3 minutes.
The first came in the 52nd minute, on a 3-on-2 break. Armanakas crossed the midfield stripe and fed the ball to Faysal Bettache, who found Wilson as he approached the far post. Wilson held off Charleston’s Arturo Rodriguez as Zamudio went into a slide and Wilson slid the ball under him.
The second goal was similar, with Wolfgang Prentice making the run into the box. His cross skidded on the turf and Wilson beat Dossantos to the ball to give Oakland the lead.
But Charleston had a second half substitute of their own. Rubio Rubin entered the match in the 58th minute and scored in the 74th. The shot came from a difficult angle, but was hit so hard that McIntosh couldn’t redirect it over the bar.
Charleston kept fighting for the win. Jennings might have scored on a breakaway in the 82nd minute if he’d lifted the ball over McIntosh as he went into his slide, but the shot bounced off of the goalkeeper’s foot and drifted harmlessly away.
Next Week
Things don’t get much easier next week when Roots return to the Oakland Coliseum to take on Western Conference leaders FC Tulsa Saturday, September 20th at 7 PM.
