CHARLESTON, SC – Former UNC Greensboro All-American Randi Patterson scored the game-tying goal Tuesday night as the USL's Charleston Battery defeated league-rival Seattle in penalty kicks to advance to the championship game of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup.
Patterson's goal in the 33rd minute, his team-leading 10th of the season, tied the game, 1-1. The score remained that way through two overtimes and to penalty kicks, where the Battery advanced, 4-3. Patterson's goal snapped a 453-minute shutout string that Seattle had compiled.
Charleston will now face D.C. United from MLS on September 3 at Washington, DC's RFK Stadium. D.C. United topped defending champions the New England Revolution, 3-1, at RFK Stadium on Monday night. The Charleston-D.C United match-up will be televised on Fox Soccer Channel on the 3rd beginning at 7:30 pm.
Patterson and former teammate Mike Richardson were both in the line-up for the Battery's contest. Richardson was one of the shooter's in the penalty kick phase, but his attempt was saved.
It will be Charleston's first-ever appearance in the Cup's title game. Tuesday was the club's third-ever semifinal appearance. Charleston is now 1-1-2 against Seattle this season. The Seattle Sounders will leave USL next season to make way for a new MLS franchise – Seattle Sounders FC.
Patterson, a forward and former member of the MLS' New York franchise, leads the team with 21 points this season on 10 goals and one assist. He has appeared in 25 matches thus far this season between the USL regular season and the Open Cup. He has started 24 times during the campaign.
Richardson, a midfielder, has appeared in 17 matches with 13 starts this season. He leads the team with four assists this season.
The Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup is the U.S. Soccer Federation's National Championship, and is an annual competition open to all amateur and professional soccer teams affiliated with U.S. Soccer. It is the oldest annual team tournament in U.S. sports history and among the oldest soccer tournaments of its type in the world. In 1999, the competition was renamed to honor long-time soccer pioneer Lamar Hunt.
At stake in the tournament is $180,000 in prize money broken down as follows: $100,000 to the champion, $50,000 to the runner up and $10,000 to the team that advances deepest into the tournament from each of the Division II, Division III and amateur levels. The winner of the U.S. Open Cup also receives an automatic berth into the CONCACAF Champions League.
- UNCG -