Purchase Tickets: Richmond Kickers vs Wilmington Hammerheads - USL PRO Quarterfinals
Keeping
Richmond’s hopes of finishing second in the USL PRO standings alive, Bulow
and Nozomi Hiroyama teamed up for the decisive play, four minutes after
entering the match. Holding his own deep in Barracudas territory, Hiroyama
turned his defender and fed the ball to a fleeting Sascha Görres. With one
touch, he sliced a cross through the penalty area, finding Luke Vercollone at
the right edge of the box but the midfielder’s ambitious strike was
deflected wide.
Hiroyama
stepped up for the resulting corner kick and played a short ball to Görres who once
again delivered a perfectly placed left-footed cross into the mix. Bulow rose
above the crowd and nodded home the crucial goal just inside the right post.
The
Kickers nearly broke the ice 45 minutes earlier when Philippe Davies served a
corner kick into traffic. The ball fell to Matthew Delicâte at the penalty spot
but his header was cleared off the line. Shane Johnson attempted to volley the
loose ball but his rebound shot was blocked by the Antigua
defense.
Meanwhile,
the Barracudas saw their best chance of the half fall by the wayside in the 28th
minute. Orlando Mitchem collected the ball in the midfield and quickly fed it
to Randolph Burton on the left wing. Beating his mark, he slotted a low ball
on target but Kickers veteran goalkeeper Ronnie
Pascale dove to the near post to smother his effort.
The two
clubs entered the break scoreless after the Kickers failed to convert a chance
in first half stoppage time. Controlling the ball, midfielder Gerson Dos
Santos played it wide to Vercollone on the right wing who lofted a cross into
the box. Delicâte won the ball in the air but his point blank header sailed
just over the crossbar.
Following Bulow’s well-timed
tally, the Kickers continued to pepper the Barracudas goal with shots throughout
the second half but nearly squandered their lead in the 83rd minute.
Antigua attempted to capitalize on a missed
clearance when Mitchem gathered the ball on the left side of the box and found
an unmarked Lawson Robinson behind the defense. One on one with Pascale, he
fired from 18 yards but was denied by the post, allowing the Kickers to collect
all three points on the first leg of their two-game regular season finale.
The
Kickers are now tied with the Rochester Rhinos at 38 points apiece, with both
teams having one game to play and Richmond (+5) holding a two-goal advantage
over Rochester (+3) on goal differential. The Kickers conclude
the 2012 regular season with the second leg of the two-game series against the
Antigua Barracuda FC on Sunday, August 19. Watch live from Sir Vivian Richards
Stadium at 7:00 p.m. on USLNation.com.
Box Score
First Half Second Half Final
Antigua
0 0
0
Richmond 0 1
1
Scoring Summary
61st minute – Richmond - David Bulow (Sascha Görres)
Lineups
Barracudas: GK Keita
DeCastro, George Dublin, Hazeley Pyle (Matthew Aldred – 64’) ,
Akeem Thomas, Ranja Christian, Luke Blakely, Quinton Griffith, Lawson Robinson,
Kerry Skepple (Jeremy Lloyd – 64’), Randolph
Burton, Orlando
Mitchem
Kickers: GK Ronnie Pascale, Shane Johnson, Jason Yeisley, Luke
Vercollone, Sascha Gorres, Henry Kalungi, Gerson Dos Santos (Bobby Foglesong –
85’), Ryan Heins (Edson Elcock – 83’), Philippe Davies
(Nozomi Hiroyama – 62’), Christopher Agorsor (David Bulow – 58’),
Matthew Delicâte
Shots
Saves Fouls
Barracudas: 7 Barracudas: 3 Barracudas: 8 Barracudas: 1
Cautions:
47th minute: Luke Blakely (Antigua)
71st minute: Ranja Christian (Antigua)
Ejections:
None
Referee:
Curtis
Charles
Assistant Referees:
Brian
Willet, Anthony Guvia
Fourth Official:
Garfield Waul
Attendance:
400
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82º
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