Charleston Battery completed a stunning comeback from three goals down, beating Hartford Athletic 5-4 on penalties after a 3-3 draw in the USL Championship on Saturday night.

Hartford looked in total control early. Michee Ngalina opened the scoring in the 13th minute, and Barry Coffey doubled the lead just three minutes later. Sadat Anaku made it 3-0 in the 31st minute, finishing off a pass from Junior Moreira. Charleston had barely touched the ball in dangerous areas, and the first half belonged entirely to the visitors.

The second half was a different story, though Hartford's cushion held firm deep into the match. It wasn't until the 80th minute that Charleston found a lifeline through Emilio Ycaza. Three minutes later, Colton Swan pulled another back, converting from a Jeremy Kelly delivery to make it 3-2. Charleston pushed relentlessly for the equalizer, and Kirill Pakhomov found it deep in stoppage time — finishing from a Houssou Landry assist in the 90th-plus-seven mark to send the match to extra time.

Hartford, shellshocked after surrendering the lead, struggled to regain any momentum in the additional 30 minutes. Neither side could find a winner, sending the tie to penalties.

From the spot, Charleston were clinical. Houssou Landry, Miguel Berry, Pakhomov, Ycaza, and Jeremy Kelly all converted. Hartford scored through Thomas Presthus, Jordan Scarlett, Samuel Careaga, and Michael Adedokun but saw one attempt saved, giving Charleston the 5-4 shootout victory.

The result caps one of the most dramatic turnarounds of the USL Championship season, keeping Charleston Battery's campaign alive when elimination looked a certainty.