Charleston Battery Beat Hartford on Penalties After 3-3 Comeback to Reach Eastern Final

Charleston Battery advanced to the Eastern Conference Final on Saturday night, November 7, 2026, after a 3-3 draw with Hartford Athletic through regulation and extra time and a 5-4 win in a penalty shootout at Patriots Point. The No. 2 seed trailed 3-0 inside 32 minutes, scored three times in the last 18 minutes of regulation, and then converted all five penalties. A sellout crowd of 5,228 watched the Eastern Conference Semifinal in the 2026 USL Championship Playoffs.

Hartford race to 3-0

Hartford, the No. 6 seed, scored three times in the first 32 minutes. Michee Ngalina opened the scoring in the 13th minute, Barry Coffey added a second in the 16th minute, and Sadat Anaku made it 3-0 in the 31st minute from an assist by Junior Moreira.

Charleston stayed 3-0 down until the 80th minute. The semifinal looked finished, with Hartford holding a three goal lead and 10 minutes of regulation time left.

Three goals force extra time

Emilio Ycaza started the comeback with a penalty kick in the 80th minute. Colton Swan scored two minutes later, in the 82nd minute, from an assist by Jeremy Kelly, and Charleston trailed 3-2.

Kirill Pakhomov tied the game in the seventh minute of second half stoppage time, at 90+7, with a header from an assist by Houssou Landry. The goal sent the semifinal to extra time at 3-3. No goal in extra time sent the game to penalties.

Swan's goal was his 10th goal in the Championship campaign. Pakhomov's goal was his fourth goal in the Championship this season.

Berner and Kelly decide the shootout

Charleston converted all five penalties, taken by Houssou Landry, Miguel Berry, Kirill Pakhomov, Emilio Ycaza and Jeremy Kelly. Hartford converted four, from TJ Presthus, Jordan Scarlett, Samuel Careaga and Michael Adedokun.

Augustine Williams was saved by Charleston backup goalkeeper John Berner, who had been introduced shortly before the shootout. Kelly then converted the decisive kick, and Charleston won the shootout 5-4.

Louisville at home on November 14

Charleston reached the Eastern Conference Final for the third time in four years. The Battery will host Louisville City FC on Saturday, November 14, with kickoff at 6 p.m. ET. Louisville advanced the same night with a 3-2 comeback win over Miami FC, scoring its winner in stoppage time.

Hartford's season ended with the shootout loss, after the club held a 3-0 lead with 10 minutes of regulation time left.

By the numbers

The game finished 3-3 after extra time, and Charleston won the shootout 5-4. Hartford scored through Ngalina in the 13th minute, Coffey in the 16th minute and Anaku in the 31st minute. Charleston answered through Ycaza with a penalty in the 80th minute, Swan in the 82nd minute and Pakhomov at 90+7. Attendance at Patriots Point was a sellout 5,228.