USL PRO Game Report
Saturday, April 12, 2014
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Charlotte Eagles rallied from a halftime deficit to claim a 2-1 victory against the Richmond Kickers on Saturday night at the Queens Sports Complex. Michael Seaton opened the scoring for the Kickers with his second goal of the season, but the Eagles were able to claim their first win of the season as goals by Juan Guzman and a late winner by Jorge Herrera earned victory.
Former Charlotte 49er Giuseppe Gentile, on loan from the Chicago Fire, made his Eagles debut as he entered at the start of the second half, and proved influential in attack. The Eagles, who trailed 1-0, would get back on even terms in the 54th minute when Juan Guzman took a pass from Drew Yates 12 yards from goal and finished with a left-footed shot past Kickers goalkeeper Ryan Taylor.
Gentile then almost tallied his first goal as an Eagle in the 73rd minute but his shot went just wide of the post. Both sides pushed forward in search of a winner in the final 15 minutes, but it would be Herrera that would find the winner in the 89th minute as he curled a left-footed shot past Taylor. Herrera took a pass from Yates before taking a touch and finishing calmly to give the Eagles the game-winner.
The game opened with a lot of back and forth between the two teams, and the Eagles almost opened the scoring in the 29th minute when Yates took a turn but was denied by Taylor. Two minutes later it would be Richmond which got the first tally as Seaton tapped home from close range. Charlotte goalkeeper Doug Herrick initially deflected a cross from the right that clipped the crossbar, but Seaton's finish eluded him and trickled into the net. Charlotte was able to rebound, however, and earn a repeat victory as in their last meeting with the Kickers in the 2013 USL PRO Playoffs.
The Eagles will return to action against the Chicago Fire Reserves on Friday, April 25th at UNC-Charlotte at 7 p.m. ET. The Kickers, meanwhile, return home to host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds next Saturday night at 5 p.m. ET.