Major League Soccer just seems to bring out the best in Charleston Battery striker Randi Patterson.
The Battery will take on the winner of the Austin-Houston Dynamo game in the quarterfinals of the U.S. Open Cup next Tuesday or Wednesday night beginning at 7:30 p.m. at Blackbaud Stadium.
After a record-setting career at UNC Greensboro, Patterson played just one season in MLS, but was relegated to the New York Red Bulls reserve squad for the entire year.
Since signing with Charleston last season, Patterson has used the Red Bulls snub as motivation against every MLS team the Battery has played.
"For some reason I love to play against MLS teams," Patterson said. "It gives me a chance to show what I'm capable of doing. I feel like New York missed out on a pretty good player, and this is just my way of showing them what they and the league are missing out on."
For Charleston defender Nelson Akwari, it was sweet revenge as he spent three weeks with Chivas during the preseason before getting released.
"I understand what went down during the preseason because they've got a great squad," Akwari said. "I understand why they didn't keep me, but it's still very, very satisfying to get a win against a team that said 'no thanks' to me."
Despite possessing the ball for large chunks of the game and recording 15 shots, Chivas, which is in second place in the MLS Western Conference, was unable to capitalize on its scoring chances.
"It's kind of been the story of our season," said Chivas midfielder Jesse Marsch, who had the team's only goal. "We've been able to create some scoring chances, we just haven't been able to finish them off. You've got to give (Charleston) credit. They came out, they fought hard, they got four chances and they scored on three of them. That's the difference in the game."
Chivas, which had to travel cross-country from California, was without two of its star players, defender Jonathan Bornstein and midfielder Sacha Kljestan, who were members of the U.S. national team in the recent FIFA Confederation Cup in South Africa.
"That's just an excuse," said Chivas coach Preki Radosavljevic. "We certainly had the team to get a result."
It was a physical match that featured 25 fouls, a couple of pushing and shoving matches between the squads, seven yellow cards and a red card.
"I don't think either team was going to back down," Patterson said.
The game also had its share of controversy when Charleston keeper Dusty Hudock was forced off his line to make a diving save on Chivas striker Maykel Galindo with less than two minutes left in regulation.
Chivas' midfielder Paulo Nagmura lofted a perfect ball to Galindo over the Battery defense. Galindo took two strong dribbles, and just as he was ready to shoot, Hudock came rushing out to make the diving save just outside of the 18-yard box.
At first, referee Mark Kadlecic was going to award Chivas with a penalty kick because Hudock had tackled Galindo inside the penalty box. However, the linesman on the far side ruled that Hudock's tackle had come just outside the penalty box and Chivas was awarded a free kick.
Chivas defender Carey Talley took the free kick just to the right of the goal, but Hudock easily stopped the attempt.
"I don't know if it was inside or outside the box," Radosavljevic said. "I was upset that (Hudock) didn't get a red card. He's the last guy on defense, and that's a professional foul. He's out. I have to see the replay to see if it was a penalty kick or not. But that's a red card 100 percent of the time."
Hudock wasn't sure where he was on the field.
"I was just trying to get to the ball as quickly as I could," Hudock said. "At the last instant I knew I wasn't going to get there, so I stretched to where I thought he's going to make his touch and I believe I got a piece of the ball.
"I thought I was outside the box, but it was close. The linesman has the clearest line of sight, so I was glad the referee looked to him."
Charleston grabbed a 1-0 lead on Patterson's goal in the 9th minute.
The play started off a long throw-in from Charleston midfielder Kenji Treschuk. Treschuk's throw went deep into the 6-yard box where Chivas defender Tim Curtin headed the ball toward the back post and what he thought was out of danger.
The ball landed directly onto Patterson's right foot and the former UNC Greensboro All-American easily volleyed it into the net for the score.
Chivas tied the game at 1-1 on Marsch's header in the 28th minute.
Chukwudi Chijiunda got a turnover around midfield and fed Sasha Victorine down the right flank. Kljestan made the run down the right flank then served the ball into the 6-yard box to an unmarked Marsch, who easily headed it into the open goal.
The Battery nearly scored in the 38th minute off a long ball from defender John Wilson to striker Darren Spicer. Spicer got behind the Chivas defensive wall, but keeper Lance Parker got just enough of his foot on the ball to deflect it out of bounds.
The Battery answered in stoppage time at the end of the first half on Patterson's second goal of the game.
Patterson picked up a loose ball and slotted it to Darren Spicer on the left flank. Spicer took two dribbles and passed it back to Patterson, who slipped past the Chivas defensive wall. Patterson settled the ball, took a dribble and blasted a shot past Chivas keeper Lance Parker for the score.
Yoshitake finished off the scoring in stoppage with a brilliant half-volley from about 20 yards out.