Battery wins third straight game
Posted 07:04 p.m., May 15, 2008
Two shots on GOAL?!?!?!?!
Uuugggghhhh. I’m almost glad I wasn’t at Charleston’s 1-0 win over Montreal Wednesday night at Blackbaud Stadium.
Hey, I’m not one of those soccer-haters. I enjoy the sport and have come to appreciate the nuances of the game. But two shots on target during a 90-minute match is one reason why this sport hasn’t caught on better in the United States.
It’s not like I want to see high scoring games either. But I would like there to be scoring chances for both teams. While I know there were more than two scoring chances during the entire match, the fact that there were just two shots on goal shows why playing teams like Montreal can be so frustrating not only for the Battery players, but the fans as well.
As I stated in a previous blog, the Impact is a team that plays not to lose when they’re on the road. Yes, they play good defense; yes, they possess the ball; But yes, they don’t attack. It makes for boring soccer. There’s got to be some way, you can punish a team for playing not to lose instead of to win.
When the Battery played in the old A-League they used to give teams an extra point in the standings for scoring three goals. I don’t know if that’s the answer, but maybe rewarding a team for scoring isn’t such a bad idea. Like, give the winning team points for goal differential. So, if you win 3-1, you get three points for the win and another two points for scoring two more goals than your opponent. I understand that it would create some cases of teams running up the score, but it would put a premium on scoring.
That’s three in a row for the Battery. Randi Patterson comes through again with a goal. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that the Battery is 3-0-0 in the games where Patterson has scored and 0-1-2 where he hasn’t. This kid is the real deal.
Don’t know how bad keeper Dusty Hudock’s back injury is. He left the game in warm-ups with back spasms. Keith Wiggans came in and got the shutout.
The Battery takes on Rochester this Saturday night.
The Rhinos began the season with a five-match road swing; Saturday’s game is Rochester’s home opener and also the first home game for the franchise since new ownership took over the club during the off-season.
Charleston beat Rochester, 2-0, back on May 2.
In 2007, the Battery tied the Rhinos 1-1 in the game played at Blackbaud Stadium. Charleston lost 5-2 in the return match played at PaeTek Park in Rochester.
The Rhinos lost in the first round of the playoffs last year after making it to the championship game in 2006. Rochester has won the USL first Division Championship on three occasions (1998, 2000 & 2001) and is also the only non-MLS team to win the U.S. Open Cup (1999) since the inception of Major league Soccer.
The Rhinos appointed former player Darren Tilley as head coach during the off-season. Tilley played for Rochester from 1998 – 2000 and was a member of the 1998 championship winning team and the 1999 US Open Cup winning team.
See you on The Pitch,
APM
Comments
Posted by Mikey on May 16 at 11:03 a.m.
Uggghhhh! not you Andrew. I though you might be a purest. while im not a "Euro Snob" and the debate about low goal scoring and ways to increase teh scoring has been hashed out adnauseum.
My take is stay in line with the rest of the world and highlight the other aspects of the game, great goal keeping, Alonso great plays,
Over all though Im think there were more than two shots on goal teh official report had 18 shots, mind you only a few of those probalby were on goal.
over all it was an ugly game but overall it was a good win for the Battery.
mikey
Posted by TPLesesne on May 16 at 6:54 p.m.
There might have been only 2 shots recorded, but there were more than two chances.
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