Richmond Kickers News Release -- www.richmondkickers.com
Friday, June 22, 2012
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers and nTelos Wireless are proud to present the School’s Out Festival this Saturday night when the Kickers host the Rochester Rhinos. The fun begins at 4 p.m. with a one-of-a-kind splash zone, featuring a 40-foot slip and slide, wave slide, inflatable games and fun for the whole family. The first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive a Kickers t-shirt and admission is just $5 before 6 p.m. The USL PRO match featuring the Kickers and the Rhinos is slated to kick off at 7 p.m.
“We are looking forward to a great match up with Rochester,” said Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Head Coach and Director of Soccer. “Both teams are in desperate need of three points so we are expecting a fully committed, wide open, attacking game of soccer.”
The Kickers look to return to winning ways at City Stadium after recently dropping a pair of devastating losses on the road. Forward Christopher Agorsor gave the Kickers an early lead in both Wilmington and Charlotte but the visitors conceded equalizers before the half-hour mark, eventually falling 2-1 to the Hammerheads and 4-1 to the Eagles during the grueling back-to-back weekend.
Off to an impressive start to the 2012 campaign, Rochester shot straight to the top of the table, posting a perfect record with six consecutive shutouts. Since then, the Rhinos have dropped to third place in the standings with a 0-3-4 record in their last seven outings. Most recently, the Rhinos salvaged a point in Pittsburgh when midfielder Quavas Kirk notched a 61st-minute equalizer to level the score 1-1 last Sunday.
Saturday, the Kickers will be reunited with their former assistant coach, Jesse Myers, who was appointed Head Coach of their rival Rhinos last fall after a 15-year career in Richmond. With a rivalry dating back to 1999, the series record between the two clubs is deadlocked at 7-7-6. The Kickers take on their northern opponent for the second time this season after a fifth-minute tally by Luke Vercollone and acrobatics by goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale were enough to carry them to a 1-0 win against the Rhinos on the road earlier this month.
Players to Watch
Kickers: Christopher Agorsor jumped to the top of the Kickers scoring charts last weekend after notching his sixth and seventh goals of the season against the Wilmington Hammerheads and Charlotte Eagles. The speedy forward signed with the Kickers after stints with the Philadelphia Union and Real Salt Lake of Major League Soccer and leads the team with seven goals and two assists overall this season.
Midfielder Nozomi Hiroyama made his first start of the season against Rochester earlier this month, setting up the lone goal of the night inside the first five minutes. With professional experience extending to four continents, Hiroyama added one goal during the Kickers' U.S. Open Cup Second Round victory in May.
Henry Kalungi returns to the lineup after posting 270 minutes with the Uganda National Team. In addition to playing the full 90 minutes in each of the two World Cup qualifiers, the stalwart defender led the Uganda defense to a 4-0 shutout against Congo Brazaville to qualify for the next round of the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Rhinos: Quavas Kirk helped the Rhinos recover a point on the road in Pittsburgh last week, notching his second goal of the season in the 1-1 draw. An integral component on both sides of the ball, the former LA Galaxy defender has also contributed to six shutouts on the season.
After stints with the Colorado Rapids and Seattle Sounders of Major League Soccer, midfielder Danny Earls returned to Rochester in 2012. Making 50 appearances, notching one goal and five assists for the Rhinos during the 2008 and 2009 campaigns, Earls has picked up where he left off, contributing one goal and two assists this season.
Kristian Nicht leads USL PRO after posting a league-high six consecutive shutouts to start the season. Allowing just six goals in nine appearances, the former German Bundesliga goalkeeper currently boasts a miniscule 0.545 goals against average.