Rhode Island FC beats Charleston Battery. Next stop: the league championship match

MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. – Emilio Ycaza and Nick Markanich walked over to the Charleston Battery end zone to salute the club’s supporters one last time.

After the pair acknowledge their fans the two turned and embraced for a long moment. The duo looked down the field at Rhode Island’s jubilant celebration and could only shake their heads and think about what might have been had things gone differently.

But this is playoff soccer.

For the second straight year, the Charleston Battery had to watch a visiting team celebrate on their home field and hoist a trophy following the match.

Karifa Yao and Noah Fuson each scored for Rhode Island FC and held off a furious Charleston rally to beat the Battery, 2-1, in the USL Championship Eastern Conference finals before a sellout crowd of more than 5,000 at Patriots Point on Saturday night.

Rhode Island will face the winner of the Colorado Switchbacks FC-Las Vegas Lights FC in the USL Championship final next Saturday.

Charleston Battery forward Nick Markanich and MD Myers came into the playoffs as the highest scoring duo in USL Championship history – combining for 47 goals. But the Rhode Island defense harassed the pair for the entire match, not allowing them to get into any rhythm.

“They are going to get the ball and they’re going to get it in dangerous spaces, and you just have to hope you keep them in areas of the field where they can’t hurt,” said Rhode Island coach Khano Smith. “They certainly had some opportunities, but we tried to at least nullify them getting into dangerous areas.”

The match was physical from the opening kickoff as several post-play scrums between the teams erupted during the match.

“They fouled Nick and the guys and kicked the crap out of us and the ref allowed that to happen,” Pirmann said. “That’s not why we lost. They made sure our playmakers couldn’t get into a flow, and it didn’t go our way.”

Rhode Island grabbed a 1-0 lead on Yao’s header in the 43rd minute off a throw-in from midfielder Clay Holstad.

RIFC extended its lead to 2-0 on Fuson’s blast from just inside the 18-yard box. After a buildup in the Battery’s defensive third, Fuson got the ball on the left side and muscled it past Battery keeper Adam Grinwis for the score.

Charleston cut the lead in half on Juan David Torres’ free kick in the 61st minute.

The loss ended the Battery’s quest for a second straight appearance in the USL Championship finals. A year ago, Pheonix Rising FC defeated the Battery on penalty kicks in the championship game on the same field.

“This just stinks,” said Charleston Battery coach Ben Pirmann. “Sports in general can be the most amazing thing and it can also be the cruelest thing. I’ll be fine, I can compartmentalize, I’m task oriented, but I just feel for these players.”

The two teams battled to a scoreless tie and a 1-1 draw in their two matchups during the regular season.

With Saturday’s win, RIFC becomes the first expansion club to qualify for the USL Championship final in its inaugural season since Louisville City FC in 2015.

This story was provided by The Post and Courier of Charleston, S.C.

apmiller@postandcourier.com