Saturday, June 9, 2012
RICHMOND, Va. – Last-gasp heroics led the Richmond Kickers to a 1-0 win against the Charlotte Eagles on Saturday night as David Bulow notched the lone goal of the night in stoppage time. The victory allowed the Kickers to remain in fourth place in the USL PRO standings.
Scoreless through 90-plus minutes, the match seemed destined to remain deadlocked despite a persistent Eagles attack but with 30 seconds to spare, the Kickers relied on second-half substitutes to find the lethal combination. The move began with Ross MacKenzie, who chested the ball down 20 yards out. With one touch, he threaded it through traffic to an awaiting Christopher Agorsor on the left wing, who slotted the ball across the goalmouth, allowing Bulow to calmly tap the loose ball in at the far post.
Charlotte pressured the Kickers defense inside the half-hour mark when defenders Cheyne Roberts and Mark Bloom each saw distance shots soar off target, but it was not until the 27th minute that the Eagles tested Kickers veteran goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale. Midfielder Joseph Kabwe intercepted the ball on the left wing and slotted it inside to Darryl Roberts at the top of the box. Turning his back to goal, he played the ball back to an onrushing Nate Thornton who unleashed a determined strike and forced Pascale to a full extension to tip it over the crossbar.
In spite of the early attack, it was the Kickers who closed out the first half with a series of chances just before the break. First, defender Sascha Görres attempted to capitalize on a free kick deep in Eagles territory. He lofted the ball into a crowded box but could not connect with Jason Yeisley positioned at the far post. Then, Gerson Dos Santos and Edson Elcock teamed up for a 42nd minute give and go that released Elcock into the box but his effort to chip the last defender was deflected past the near post. Stanley Nyazamba lined up the subsequent corner, finding Ryan Heins in the air but the midfielder’s header glanced just wide.
The Eagles saw their best chance of the second half blocked by Pascale when Roberts served the ball to a streaking Mauricio Salles at the top of the box. Facing the Kickers netminder one-on-one, he struck from 12 yards out but Pascale was in the right place in the right time to throw himself in the line of fire. However, Salles quickly recovered the rebound and played it back to Darren Toby at the top of the box but his attempt sailed skyward.
With 10 minutes left in regulation, the Kickers squandered the chance to break the ice when a Heins pass released Agorsor at the top of the box. Controlling the ball with his chest, the heavily marked forward stood helplessly by as his half-volley went over the bar.
The Eagles countered with a barrage of shots as the final whistle loomed closer but could not take advantage of three consecutive corners as Pascale’s acrobatics earned his second clean sheet in as many games, and gave his side the chance to grab all three points with their dramatic late finish.
The Richmond Kickers embark on a two-game road swing next week, taking on the Wilmington Hammerheads on Friday, June 15 before facing the Charlotte Eagles on Saturday, June 16. The Kickers return to City Stadium one week later to host the Rochester Rhinos and the School’s Out Festival on Saturday, June 23 at 7 p.m.