Defender Sean Suber played a key role in the Pittsburgh Riverhounds claiming their first USL Championship title last season.

On Saturday, he played a key role in making sure they wouldn’t open their title defense with a win.

Suber scored in stoppage time at the end of the first half, leading the Charleston Battery to a 2-1 victory over the Riverhounds on Saturday night in South Carolina.

The Battery carried much of play, leading 8-6 in shots, 6-2 in shots on target and 8-1 in corners. They took a lead in the 47th minute when Suber headed in a Jeremy Kelly corner kick. Suber signed a multi-year deal with Charleston in January.

Charleston (1-0) added to its lead in the 52nd minute when Wilmer Cabrera Jr. took a pass from Nathan Messer at the top of the box and sent a left-footed volley past new Hounds goalkeeper Nico Campuzano.

The Riverhounds (0-1) got within a goal in the 62nd minute. Danny Griffin hit Charles Ahl on a diagonal run through the penalty area. Ahl tried to send a pass back to Albert Dikwa, but Charleston’s Messer knocked it in for an own goal.

The teams stood silent for one minute before kickoff to protest working conditions in the USL Championship. The players union said in a statement Friday that all teams in the league would engage in the protest and futher action would be considered after this weekend’s games.

The Riverhounds are scheduled to visit Loudoun United at 3 p.m. next Saturday.

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