USL PRO Game Report
Friday, May 9, 2014
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers defeated Arizona United SC 4-0 on Friday night at City Stadium. Reduced to 10 men inside the first 30 minutes, Arizona held the Kickers scoreless through the first half before conceding a pair of goals on either side of a 30-minute lightning delay. Midfielder George Davis IV and Matthew Delicate opened the scoring, while Christiano Francois scored his first professional goal before an own goal rounded out the scoreline just before the final whistle.
The drama of the evening began immediately upon kickoff when an unmarked Shay Spitz collected the ball on the right wing and carried it to the six-yard box. He sliced a low cross past the unsuspecting United goalkeeper, Evan Newton, and narrowly missed connecting with an onrushing Matthew Delicate as the ball whistled just wide.
Following a crafty sequence that saw Arizona defender Daniel Antunez back heel a ball to forward Brandon Swartzendruber, whose subsequent header soared just over the crossbar, United’s fortunes turned when they were reduced to 10 men. Midfielder Bradlee Baladez was ejected when he headbutted Spitz after a scuffle over a restart in the 25th minute.
Fueled by the dramatic exchange, Spitz nearly broke the ice two minutes later when he collected a cross at the top of the box and hit a determined first-time strike over the crossbar. The feisty midfielder forced Newton into action again just before the break when he latched onto a through-ball and fired a rocket on target, but the Arizona goalkeeper made the point-blank save.
Despite the disadvantage, United pressed for the opener in first-half stoppage time when Swartzendruber got on the end of a pass before playing it wide to Schillo Tshuma, but he missed the left post to send the teams into the locker room deadlocked.
The Kickers opened scoring in the 50th minute when Martin and Mike Callahan battled Paolo DelPiccolo to win the ball in the midfield. The 2-on-1 combination sprung Martin free, and he fed the ball through to Davis at the right edge of the penalty area. Newton was able to get a hand on a low driven shot, but could not stop the momentum as it slipped in at the far post.
Delicate doubled the score just past the hour-mark when second-half substitute Francois stole the ball in Arizona territory. He played a square ball to defender Taylor Kemp on the left wing, who barreled into the box and lofted a cross to the Kickers all-time leading scorer, who made no mistake with a diving header from eight yards out to carry a 2-0 lead into the 30 minute lightning delay.
Less than 10 minutes after the hiatus, Francois tallied his first professional goal when he picked up a long ball and raced down the right flank. Leaving Newton with little chance, he buried a determined shot into the back of the net in the 84th minute.
In a last ditch effort to pull a goal back, forward Kadeem Dacres fired a shot from 12 yards out but Kickers goalkeeper Joe Willis denied his attempt and cleared the ball back out to midfield. Rookie defender Hugh Roberts collected the loose ball and eluded defenders as he dribbled through traffic. Searching for Jason Yeisley at the back post, he served in a cross that was intercepted by Arizona defender Tyler Ruthven,only for the ball to find the back of the net for an own goal to seal a 4-0 victory for the Kickers.
The Richmond Kickers kick off U.S. Open Cup action on the road against RVA FC on Wednesday night before embarking on a two-game road trip to Oklahoma City Energy on Friday, May 16 and Chicago Fire Reserves on Sunday, May 18. The Kickers return to City Stadium one week later to host the Charlotte Eagles on Saturday, May 24 at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.