Rising fall to Charleston Battery in a 4-1 loss, ending its unbeaten streak at six matches.
MOUNT PLEASANT, SC – Phoenix Rising fell 4-1 to Charleston Battery on June 21 at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium as the club suffered defeat for the first time since April 12
Rising conceded early but responded quickly, with defender Collin Smith setting up midfielder Hope Avayevu for the equalizer. Avayevu found space behind the defense thanks to a clever dummy run by Darius Johnson that pulled defenders out of position.
Trailing by one at halftime, Rising pressed forward in the second half, controlling 64 percent of possession and continuing to push in the attack. But Charleston struck again in the 77th minute, as midfielder Arturo Rodriguez scored his second goal of the night. Despite the effort, Rising couldn’t close the gap and ultimately suffered a 4-1 defeat to the second-best team in the East.
“Overall, I cannot fault the boys because they give us good effort,” Head Coach Pa-Modou Kah said. “They fought.”
MOVING ONWARD
Rising hits the road next Saturday to face Texoma FC in the USL Jägermeister Cup, then returns home for its July 4 matchup against Lexington SC.
AVAYEVU MAKING IT HAPPEN
With his goal tonight, midfielder Hope Avayevu now leads the team with four goals on the season. He also tops the squad in assists, tallying five during USL Championship play. Against Charleston Battery, he led all players in shots.
Goal-Scoring Plays
CHS – MD Myers (Juan Torres), 8th minute: Midfielder Juan Torres controlled the ball in midfield, slipped past a defender with a quick move, and played a perfectly weighted through ball to forward MD Myers. Myers used his momentum to slot a right-footed shot into the back corner of the net.
PHX – Hope Avayevu (Collin Smith), 36th minute: Defender Collin Smith delivered a cross from the right side toward the top of the box. Forward Darius Johnson made a clever dummy run, allowing midfielder Hope Avayevu to step in and bury a right-footed shot into the far-right corner.
CHS – Arturo Rodríguez (Juan Torres), 44th minute: Juan Torres once again initiated the play, driving through midfield before slipping a pass to Arturo Rodríguez. Rodríguez created space with a quick feint and fired a right-footed shot into the bottom-left corner.
CHS – Arturo Rodríguez (MD Myers), 77th minute: Forward Cal Jennings advanced down the right wing and crossed into the middle for MD Myers, who settled the ball and laid it off for Rodríguez. The midfielder struck a clean right-footed shot into the center of the net for his second goal of the match.
CHS – Houssou Landry, 88th minute: Defender Houssou Landry made a run through midfield and launched a long-range right-footed shot that soared over goalkeeper Patrick Rakovsky and into the back of the net.
NOTES
– Hope Avayevu scored his fourth goal of the regular season—his first since May 10, 2025, against New Mexico United.
– Avayevu (5 goals) now leads all Phoenix Rising players in goals scored this season in all competitions.
– Rising has scored in 13 straight USL Championship matches.
– The club has netted 11 first-half goals in 14 matches—third-most in the league behind Charleston Battery (19) and El Paso Locomotive (13).
– Tonight marked Darius Johnson’s first start for Rising in 2025.
– Collin Smith recorded his second assist of the USL Championship season.
– Phoenix Rising has scored in 13 of 14 matches this year—no team has scored in more games across the USL Championship.
NEXT GAME
Rising continues its road stretch with a trip to Sherman, Texas, for its third Jägermeister Cup match. Kickoff against Texoma FC is set for 5:30 p.m. PT on Saturday, June 28, at Sherman Bearcat Stadium. The match will air on AZFS and ESPN+, with radio coverage available via Rising Radio on the club’s social channels.
Phoenix Rising (5-4-5, 20pts) at Charleston Battery (10-3-1, 31pts)
June 21, 2025 – Patriots Point Soccer Complex (Mount Pleasant, SC.)
Goals by Half 1 2 FT
Phoenix Rising 1 0 1
Charleston Battery 2 2 4
Scoring Summary:
CHS: Myers (Torres), 8
PHX: Avayevu (Smith), 36
CHS: Rodríguez (Torres), 44
CHS: Rodríguez (Myers), 77
CHS: Landry, 88
Misconduct Summary:
PHX: Okello (caution), 16
CHS: Conway (caution), 90+4
Lineups:
PHX: GK Rakovsky, D Flood (Cuello,58), D Montgomery (Kowall, 87), D Essengue, D Smith, M Scearce, M Formella (Dennis, 59), M Avayevu ©, M Okello (Emmers, 60), F Sacko, F Johnson
Substitutes Not Used: GK Henry, M Ping, M Rizzo
TOTAL SHOTS: 11 (Avayevu, 4); SHOTS ON GOAL: 4 (Avayevu, 3); FOULS: 14 (Sacko, 4); OFFSIDES: 1; CORNER KICKS: 1; SAVES: 4
CHS: GK Zamudio, D Dossantos (Segbers, 82), D Smith (Archer, 45), D Akpunonu, D Blackstock, M Landry, M Allan, M Rodríguez, M Ycaza © (Jennings, 59), M Torres (Klein, 89), F Myers (Conway, 89)
Substitutes Not Used: GK Garner, M Molloy, M Ortiz, M Rodríguez
TOTAL SHOTS: 16 (Torres, 6) SHOTS ON GOAL: 8 (Torres, 3); FOULS: 14 (Landry, 3) OFFSIDES: 3; CORNER KICKS: 3; SAVES: 3
Referee: Luis Diego Arroyo
Assistant Referees: Matt Trotter, Hillis Waddell III
Fourth Official: Josiah Parke
All statistics contained in this box score are unofficial.
