In form forward, Augustine Williams netted a brace in Charleston Battery’s 2-1 away win over Tampers Bay Rowdies on Wednesday evening at the Al Lang Stadium.
Rowdies snatched an early lead due to a Battery own goal in the first half, but Williams scored twice in the second half to win it for the visitors.
The late win has placed Charleston top of the Eastern Conference table and remains the lone undefeated team in the conference. The Battery extended their win streak to three in league competition and have swept the series with Tampa Bay.
Williams, his fourth consecutive match with a goal, assisted by Trager. The play was built out of the back and was a complete team effort from the right side of the field to the left. Williams then slotted the ball between the legs of goalkeeper Connor Sparrow and into the net.
Both sides continued to press aggressively for the winning goal in the remaining time in the second half.
Tampa Bay’s ambitions for a winner in stoppage time would prove to be their undoing. The hosts were pressing into the Battery’s defensive third when Charleston sprang a fatal counterattack when Sparrow caught was far off his line.
Arturo Rodriguez found Williams with a through ball and the striker took a shot from roughly 40 yards out that rolled into the net, sealing the victory for the Battery.
It was the third consecutive win for the Battery in league play and the fourth across all competitions.
Following their win, Williams expressed his delight for being able to provide two vital goals in the match to help Battery secure the three points and move top of the table.
The Sierra Leone international stated: “This is a great atmosphere, one of the best teams in the league, so to come here and earn all three points, it’s a great feeling for us”.
“We came to get three points. Obviously, it didn’t go our way at first, but we came back with the mentality. I’m proud of the boys and the way we earned all three points”.
“Obviously, it was a challenge. We knew we were going against the wind. There were so many things that were a factor that played a role, so when we scored that goal against ourselves, it hurt to go down”. But, we were sticking together and saw the momentum to come back.
“The way we grinded for the three points, it was an amazing feeling. That [first goal] kept us in the game and gave us the momentum to be able to come back and win”.
“That’s the best of life. That’s football. When we have guys, like Ben Pirmann, you want to run through a wall for guys like that. He motivates us and tells us to keep going and to believe in ourselves. We stick together as a team, so everything is coming together and we’re happy”, William said.
Charleston Battery will be traveling to Tulsa for an away match this weekend, before returning home on Saturday 22nd April, for a match against Louisville City FC.
