Richmond Kickers News Release - www.richmondkickers.com
Friday, May 21, 2010
RICHMOND, VA -- The Richmond Kickers ascended into sole possession of second place with a dominating performance at the University of Richmond Stadium Friday night, defeating the Charlotte Eagles, 3-1.
Kickers midfielders Jonny Villanueva and Mike Burke registered on free kicks on either side of a Matthew Delicâte tally. The Eagles pulled a goal back in the second half, courtesy of Jorge Herrera, but they were outshot by the home side 15-4 overall. The win moved Richmond ahead of rival Charlotte, who still owns a game in hand.
It was a night of firsts for the Kickers, who acquired their first home win of the season. Just two minutes into the match, Villanueva unleashed a fantastic free kick which found the lower left corner of the net. The penalty was drawn just outside the box, courtesy of a Delicâte foul. The tally marked Villanueva’s first career goal.
The Kickers started off the game passing the ball crisply, maintaining the bulk of the possession while displaying their real intent. The defending champs were rewarded for their hard work in the form of Delicâte’s goal in the 21st minute. A cross distributed by defender Sascha Görres found the league’s leading scorer around the 6-yard box, who smashed the ball off the top bar and over the line. The young Englishman continues his assault on the USL, scoring 6 times in 7 games.
Union First Market Bank Man of the match, Mike Burke, and forward Edson Elcock constantly made their presence known during the first half. Burke relied on some impressive footwork and created a flurry of chances for the home side. Elcock ran wild down the sidelines and supplied several threatening crosses.
The staunch Richmond defense, backed by ‘keeper Ronnie Pascale, allowed just four shots throughout the entire game. Pascale aggressively came off his line when needed and dealt with several pressure situations like a true veteran.
The second half saw Burke join in on the action in the 51st minute. A harsh tackle on Villanueva led to a marvelous Burke free kick goal. The ball sailed into the left corner while the hand of the Eagles’ goalkeeper, Erik Lefebvre could not prevent the inevitable.
The Eagles were able to pull one back in response to Burke’s strike only three minutes later. Charlotte forward, Jorge Herrera, found the back of the net on an unassisted shot from the left side 25 yards out.
The latter half of the game saw the majority of play unearth in the middle third of the field. Charlotte was searching for a way back in the contest, while Richmond was looking for the finishing blow.
The Kickers return to the University of Richmond Stadium next Saturday, May 29 to host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on at 7:00 p.m. Save on admission and order tickets in advance at RichmondKickers.com.
