Friday, June 15, 2012
WILMINGTON, N.C. - The Wilmington Hammerheads rallied from an early deficit to take a 2-1 victory against the Richmond Kickers at Legion Stadium on Friday night. Andriy Budnyy and Corey Hertzog both found the net as the Hammerheads remained undefeated in USL PRO play at home this season, while jumping past the Kickers into fourth place in the league standings.
The Kickers struck in just the seventh minute as Hammerheads center back Tyler Lassiter was forced to deal with a tricky long ball lobbed in from the midfield and lost in a battle of strength to Kickers forward Christopher Agorsor, who skillfully bodied his way onto the ball. As Lassiter tumbled to the turf, Agorsor took full advantage of his early chance on goal as he rounded advancing Hammerheads goalkeeper Alex Horwath before finishing into the empty net, silencing the 3,371 fans at Legion Stadium.
Determined to make up for the defensive breakdown, Hammerheads forwards Hertzog and Budnyy hooked up for an unusual equalizer eight minutes later. Deep in the Kickers' half, Hertzog unleashed a long throw-in, which made it all the way to the center of the six-yard box. Budnyy was positioned well and leapt above the Richmond defenders to nod a powerful header past Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale to tie the game.
The Hammerheads never looked back as the team continued to pepper Richmond's goal with quality chances. In the 28th minute another Hertzog throw made its way into the box and the resulting congestion led to a Richmond handball. Hertzog lined up to take the penalty kick his long throw-in had earned and the young forward showed great poise as he slotted a low, hard shot into the right corner past the diving Pascale.
The second half certainly belonged to the Kickers, who sent shot after shot flying at Wilmington's goal. Horwath was up for every challenge, however, as the Hammerheads goalkeeper utilized every inch of his 6-foot-4 frame to deflect several attempts over the crossbar. As the match entered the final 20 minutes both teams looked to capitalize on counter attacking opportunities, which were growing more prevalent as players on both squads began to fatigue.
Despite two dangerous attempts on the Wilmington goal during stoppage time, Horwath kept the Kickers from stealing two points from the home squad with a pair of saves. As the final whistle sounded the Hammerheads celebrated their second win in as many matches as the team continues its impressive form of late.
The Kickers trip continues on Saturday as they visit the Charlotte Eagles on Saturday night at Charlotte Christian Stadium at 8 p.m. The Hammerheads hit the road next weekend for games against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Dayton Dutch Lions before they return to Legion Stadium on June 30th to host the Los Angeles Blues.