USL PRO Game Report
Saturday, May 31, 2014
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- The Richmond Kickers grabbed a dramatic 3-2 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders in front of 2,233 fans at the Skyline Sports Complex on Saturday night as a stoppage-time goal by Kyle Porter earned his side victory. Harrisburg had tied the game in the 90th minute, and were on the verge of earning a point, but Richmond struck quickly following the ensuing kickoff to move into second place in the USL PRO standings.
The Islanders struggled offensively in the first half as Richmond dominated the field early. The Kickers opened the scoring in the sixth minute as midfielder Jared Jeffrey rifled home a finish from just outside the penalty area off the feed from defender Taylor Kemp. The Kickers remained on top for most of the first half as the Islanders failed to execute effectively in the attacking third, only getting off two shots from midfielders Jimmy McLaughlin and Jose Barril respectively.
Harrisburg turned things around in the second half, and came out looking like a new team, both offensively and defensively. In the 55th minute, McLaughlin took advantage of a small gap in the Richmond defense and delivered the ball to the Islanders' leading scorer Morgan Langley, who forced the ball into the back of the net to even the score. The quickly Kickers proceeded to answer Langley's efforts with a goal of their own in the 62nd minute as halftime substitute Matthew Delicate slid in to finish Porter's cross from close range to give Richmond a 2-1 lead.
Harrisburg would tie the game again in the final minute when Cristhian Hernandez had the chance at free kick which was fired toward the heart of the Kickers' penalty area. After a scramble of both Kicker defenders and Islander forwards, the ball found the back of the net off a Kickers' defender to tie it up at 2-2. The Kickers would quickly hit back, however, as Porter immediately answered with a goal off an assist from midfielder Luke Vercollone to give the Kickers their sixth win of the season.
The Harrisburg City Islanders are set to play the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Sunday night at Highmark Stadium in Pittsburgh. The Isles will return to their home at Skyline Sports Complex June 14 at 7 p.m. against the Riverhounds. For more information please visit CityIslanders.com or phone 717-441-4625 (GOAL).