Charleston Battery Defeat Hartford Athletic in USL Playoff Shootout

The Charleston Battery completed a dramatic turnaround in the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Saturday, erasing a three-goal halftime deficit to defeat Hartford Athletic in a penalty shootout at Patriots Point.

Live 5 News reported that after finishing extra time deadlocked at 3-3, the Battery secured a 5-4 victory from the spot to advance to the next round of the USL Championship Playoffs.

The match began with a stark disparity in momentum. Hartford seized control early, finding the back of the net through Michee Ngalina in the 13th minute, Barry Coffey in the 16th, and Sadat Anaku in the 31st. Despite the Battery outshooting the visitors 10-6 in the first half, they entered the locker room facing an daunting 0-3 disadvantage.

Head Coach Ben Pirmann’s halftime adjustments proved instrumental in shifting the game’s trajectory. By introducing fresh legs through Colton Swan, Langston Blackstock, and Nathan Messer, the Battery began to dismantle Hartford’s defensive structure. The pressure culminated in the 79th minute when Blackstock drew a penalty, which Emilio Ycaza converted with clinical precision to ignite the comeback.

11.7.2026 | Charleston Battery vs. Hartford Athletic – USL Championship Game Highlights

“We talked at halftime. We just said, ‘Look, you just have to chip it away.’ It didn’t go well in the first half again. The playoffs in this country and in general are massive, crazy, emotional rollercoasters,” said Coach Pirmann following the match.

Momentum swung decisively toward Charleston in the 83rd minute when Colton Swan headed home a corner kick delivered by Jeremy Kelly. The goal marked Swan’s 14th of the 2026 campaign, while Kelly’s assist set a new career-high for the midfielder.

The atmosphere reached a fever pitch in the 97th minute, as Kirill Pakhomov connected on a diving header from a Houssou Landry cross to level the score at 3-3 with virtually the final play of regulation.

Following a scoreless extra-time period, the match moved to penalties. For the second consecutive week, goalkeeper John Berner delivered a decisive save, denying Hartford’s Augi Williams in the fifth round. Jeremy Kelly once again stepped up to convert the final spot-kick, mirroring his heroics from the previous week and cementing Charleston’s place in the Eastern Conference Final.

Playoff Highlights: Charleston Battery vs. Hartford Athletic | Sponsored by Michelob Ultra

This victory marks the third time in the last four years that the Battery have reached this stage of the postseason. Looking ahead, the club is set to host Louisville City FC at Patriots Point on Saturday, November 14, with kickoff scheduled for 6 p.m. ET. Tickets for the encounter are currently available through the club’s official ticketing provider, SeatGeek.

The comeback follows a pattern of resilience for the Battery, who have frequently recovered from early deficits this season. As the team prepares for a high-stakes matchup against Louisville, the focus remains on sustaining the intensity that defined their performance under the lights on Saturday night.