Corbin Ensminger

2015 US Open Cup Round 4: Orlando City lose 2-goal lead in OT, survive thrilling PK shootout with Charleston Battery (video)

June 20, 2015 by Corbin Ensminger

It took 10 rounds of penalty kicks, but Orlando City beat the Charleston Battery in the fourth round of the US Open Cup on Wednesday night.

The thrilling game ended at 4-4 after added extra time, and then neither team was able to get the edge in the shootout until Danny Mwanga beat Charleston goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper down the middle on Orlando’s 10th shot. Lions net-minder Earl Edwards Jr made three saves in the shootout, including the deciding moment where he denied Taylor Mueller.

The momentum, and lead, in the game between the two former USL rivals swung back-and-forth several times, including a ridiculous half hour in extra time that saw four goals scored.

Charleston took the lead in the 57th minute when Jared van Schaik headed a ball in from a Justin Portillo corner kick. However, the lead did not last long. Lewis Neal knocked in a headed ball seven minutes later to level the game.

Forward Dane Kelly regained the lead for the Battery in the 67th minute when he ran to a ball that was perfectly-placed by Maikel Chang on the left side of the box. Edwards came off his line but Kelly was able to blast it by the keeper for the goal.

But once again, the Battery could not enjoy their lead. Rafael Ramos made a run into the box in the 75th minute and defender Shawn Ferguson was called for a foul after going in hard for a tackle. Carlos Rivas, who would finish with the Modern Era’s (1995-present) first hat trick from penalties, slotted it home to tie the game at two apiece.

The drama just picked up once extra time began. Orlando was awarded another penalty just minutes into the first half of extra time, and it was controversial. It looked like Cooper got the ball first with time to spare, but the referee pointed to the spot again. Charleston players angrily protested but the referee wasn’t changing his mind and Rivas scored another.

He added another goal in the 105th minute when Pedro Ribeiro was tripped up in almost the same spot. This one was an obvious foul, as Cooper missed the ball and only made contact with Ribeiro’s ankles.

Despite the two-goal deficit, Charleston never stopped believing that they could win the game. Justin Portillo made sure of it. He made it 4-3 right before the end of the first half of extra time with his stunning strike from very far out. Then in the 115th minute, the referee called a penalty kick on Orlando. It was the fourth penalty of the game.

Portillo took the kick and beat Edwards to even it up once more and send the game to penalties. However, Edwards came up big in the end and helped his team advance to round five of the Cup where they will play the Columbus Crew.

FULL MATCH REPLAY: ORLANDO CITY AT CHARLESTON BATTERY

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Heviel Cordoves scores, sent off in Charleston Battery’s narrow 1-0 win over Miami United

May 21, 2015 by Corbin Ensminger

Heviel Cordoves scored in the first half and the Charleston Battery was able to hold on for the 1-0 win over Miami United in the Second Round of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday night at Blackbaud Stadium.

Cordoves scored in the 40th minute against the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) side after Memo Rodriguez played a ball from the right side that curved right into Cordoves’ path. He beat the defenders and easily slotted the ball past goalkeeper Eric Perilla for the goal.

The Battery move on to Round 3 where they will host the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Blackbaud Stadium on May 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Charleston, which is in second place in the USL Eastern Conference, dominated the game in the first half, but Miami was able to survive the onslaught with limited damage and did a good job of making it an even contest in the second half.

The Battery could have had multiple goals in the first 45 minutes, as Cordoves nearly scored in the opening minute on a backpass to Perilla that went awry and Dante Marini hit the post in the fifth minute.

It felt like Charleston was destined to score several goals, but ultimately only one was needed. Miami came out much stronger in the second half, so the Battery spent more time on defense and looked to counterattack with long balls over the midfield.

Charleston coach Mike Anhaeuser said the longer the game went on, the more confident Miami felt that they had a chance to tie or win the game.

“They made a few mistakes and we didn’t make them pay early, and that’s what you need to do against a team like that. They were able to bleed through their mistakes and got their confidence,” he said.

The Battery had several opportunities to put the game away, but Perilla made five saves on the night, including an amazing stop in the 79th minute. Cordoves, on a breakaway from one of those quick counterattacks down the flanks, found Navion Boyd alone in front of goal and delivered the ball to him. Boyd directed it to goal but somehow Perilla slid over, extended his leg and was able to kick the ball off the line.

Miami finished the game with seven shots, six of which had to be saved by Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper. Ignacio Calcagno had one of the best shots for Miami when he whipped a ball in from outside the box, and he earned his side a corner kick in the first half. But the NPSL team struggled to create chances against the Battery defense.

The second half turned feisty, as Cordoves was sent off for shoving a Miami player in the back. Because it was ruled as violent conduct, Cordoves will be ineligible for the next two Cup games, should the Battery advance that far. In total, there were eight yellow cards handed out.

Charleston central midfielder Sebastian Thuriere said he has never known a US Open Cup game to be easy. He is a player that can attack or defend well, but had to spend a lot of time in his own half as the Battery played down a man for the final seven minutes of regulation.

“Toward the end of the game we realized the pressure was on them to push,” said Thuriere. “They added some extra defenders and the card made it harder on us,”

2011 US Open Cup Second Round: Orlando City hands Charleston Battery historic home loss

June 21, 2011 by Corbin Ensminger

Orlando City FC defeated the Charleston Battery 1-0 Tuesday night in the Second Round of the US Open Cup with the lone goal coming from an unexpected player. Defender Rob Valentino scored in the 40th minute, and it was enough to put Orlando City through to the Third Round of the tournament where they will face FC Dallas of Major League Soccer.

Although he was facing away from the goal, Valentino went up to attempt a header on a ball Kevin Molino played into the box. At the same time, Battery goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra charged forward in an attempt to grab the ball. However, Valentino put his head to the ball, propelling it over the keeper’s hands and into the back of the net.

The Battery defenders protested the goal, claiming Valentino was offside, but the assistant referee indicated otherwise.

Charleston manager Mike Anhaeuser did not blame Dykstra for the goal, saying his team had plenty of chances to tie the match.

“It wasn’t a bad mistake,” Anhaeuser said. “We had our chances, but we didn’t put them away. That’s the game.”

Surprisingly, it was not Valentino’s first goal of the campaign in which he has seen action in 13 of their 14 regular season contests. He tallied the lone goal in a 1-0 victory against the Charlotte Eagles in their third match of the season, giving the franchise it’s first-ever road victory. He now has game-winners in both Carolinas.

It was a historic win by Orlando City, as they became the first non-MLS team to win at Blackbaud Stadium in US Open Cup play. The Battery have been playing Open Cup games in that stadium since 1999 and rarely lose. They are 18-5-3 (2-1 in PKs) in that stadium all-time in this tournament and will fail to reach the Third Round for the first time since 2005.

For the first ten minutes of the match, Orlando City was controlling the possession. However, Charleston appeared to settle down and started creating scoring chances of its own.

Anhaeuser said the slow start was due to his team not being quite ready for the passing game of Orlando City, a side they have yet to play in the USL Pro regular season.

“Once we settled down we really played well,” Anhaeuser said. “They’re a team that once they’re winning, they’re tough to score on, but we created chances.”

Charleston added fresh legs in the second half, when Dane Kelly came on in the 55th minute to replace Levi Coleman. Kelly came close to equalizing for Charleston as he split two defenders to get a one-on-one with the keeper. However, Miguel Gallardo was able to clear the ball just before Kelly could put a foot on it.

With the temperature hovering around 100 degrees at kickoff, Anhaeuser said players on both teams were getting worn out.

“When its 100 degrees, one mistake can be the game,” Anhaeuser said.

Orlando will travel to Texas next Tuesday, as FC Dallas will host the Third Round matchup at Pizza Hut Park.

TheCup.us Match MVP: Rob Valentino

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