Battle of USL Champions ends 1-1
Columbus wins 2004 Carolina Challenge Cup
CHARLESTON, SC -- The defending A-League champion Charleston Battery tied 1-1 with the defending PSL champion Wilmington Hammerheads tonight at Blackbaud Stadium in front of 4,803. In the second game the Columbus Crew held DC United to a 0-0 tie to win the inaugural Carolina Challenge Cup. The games tonight wrapped up a week of preseason exhibition soccer in Charleston and Wilmington.
Charleston tested Wilmington early on with two close headers. The first came from an Andrew Rosenband corner and was headed just wide by defender, Ivan McKinley. McKinley made a good run across the box but his header missed wide-left.
In the 21st minute defender Michael Green met a cross but his snap header flashed just wide of the left upright.
The first goal was scored by the Battery in the 60th minute. The ball was played out to the left sideline. Midfielder, Steve Klein whipped it into the middle. Substitute forward, Chris Bagley met the cross and drilled the ball into the Wilmington goal.
The Hammerheads leveled the scores in the 64th minute. The ball was not fully cleared following a corner kick. Defender Buddy Forward reacted quickest to the loose ball and drove it through a crowd of players into the goal.
The second match of the night ended in a scoreless tie as Major League Soccer’s DC United battled the Columbus Crew.
The Columbus Crew won the 2004 Carolina Challenge Cup on goal difference and will be invited back to Charleston to defend the cup in the spring of 2005.
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