Richmond Kickers News Release -- www.richmondkickers.com
Thursday, June 16, 2011
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers return to USL PRO regular season action this Friday as the club hosts Kick for the Cure Night, presented by HCA Virginia, as the Kickers face the Harrisburg City Islanders at City Stadium at 7 p.m. Kickers Pink Packs are on sale at RichmondKickers.com for just $40 and include four general admission tickets and four limited edition pink Kickers t-shirts. The Kickers will donate $10 from each Pink Pack directly to Susan G. Komen for the Cure of Central Virginia.
"We are looking forward to the Harrisburg game,” said Leigh Cowlishaw, Richmond Kickers Head Coach and Director of Soccer. “At this point in the season, the games come thick and fast and we will need to be at our very best to earn the three points we need to stay in contention for a playoff berth.”
Holding a narrow edge over Antigua Barracuda FC for second place in the USL PRO American Division standings, the Kickers (7-2-2, 23 points) returned to winning ways with a 2-0 win over F.C. New York last weekend. A pair of first-half goals by forwards Edson Elcock and Matthew Delicâte gave the Kickers their first win since May 7th. Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale posted four saves to earn his fourth shutout of the season and was named to the USL PRO Team of the Week honors for his efforts.
Harrisburg (4-4-2, 14 points) resides in third place in the National Division, just four points behind division leaders the Rochester Rhinos, who recently defeated the City Islanders 1-0 last weekend. Harrisburg was coming off a 4-1 midweek victory against the Dayton Dutch Lions, during which Jose Angulo and Brian Ombiji each recorded a pair of first half tallies.
Over the past five seasons, the Kickers hold a 9-2-5 record over the City Islanders. The two clubs last met in Harrisburg on May 14 when they battled to a 1-1 draw. City Islanders midfielder Nelson Becerra converted a penalty kick to give the home side the lead early in the second half. The Kickers were reduced to 10 men shortly after, when Elcock was ejected in the 66th minute. The City Islanders stalwart defense held onto the advantage until Kickers midfielder Shaka Bangura broke through with the equalizer in the 82nd minute.
The heated rivalry continues as Richmond has not forgotten the 2007 USL-2 Championship match when Harrisburg stripped the defending champions of the title after nine rounds of penalty kicks. The two clubs met four times during the regular season last year, with the Kickers coming away with 3-0-1 record over their rivals. Opening the 2010 campaign with a 2-2 stalemate in Richmond, the Kickers served the City Islanders a trio of shutouts later that season with Delicâte tallying four of the Kickers' six goals.
Players to Watch
Kickers: Midfielder David Bulow burst onto the scoring scene Tuesday night, recording a hat trick in the Kickers 4-1 U.S. Open Cup first round win against the Dayton Dutch Lions. The Kickers fan favorite has also added three goals during the regular season, good for fourth place on the team in scoring with 12 points.
Midfielder Michael Callahan returned to the lineup this week after being sidelined through injury since April. Anchoring the midfield, he earned the inaugural USL PRO Player of the Week honors following his solid performance in the 2-0 season opening win over Orlando City on April 2.
In his 12th season with the Kickers, goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale earned USL PRO Team of the Week honors this week for the first time during the 2011 campaign after posting four heroic saves in his fourth clean sheet of the season. Pascale’s acrobatics also smothered Dayton’s attack during last night’s US Open Cup victory.
City Islanders: Newcomer Sainey Touray notched the game-winning goal during stoppage time during last night’s 2-1 win over Reading United AC. The former New York Red Bulls midfielder’s last-gasp tally boosted the City Islanders to a second round match-up against the Rochester Rhinos on June 21.
In his fourth season with Harrisburg, midfielder Brian Ombiji is second on the team in scoring with two goals and two assists for six points, most recently recording a pair of goals in a two-minute span against Dayton earlier this month.
The 2009 USL-2 GAA Champion and All-League Second Team Goalkeeper Chase Harrison returned to Harrisburg this season after spending the 2010 campaign in Richmond, making two appearances with the Kickers.
U.S. Open Cup Update
Kickers midfielder David Bulow recorded his second career hat trick Tuesday night to propel the Kickers to a 4-1 victory over the Dayton Dutch Lions in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Midfielder Shaka Bangura contributed a pair of assists before adding a tally of his own in the 89th minute. The Kickers will host the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Second Round next Tuesday, June 21 at 7 p.m. at City Stadium and are just one win away from a third round match-up against Major League Soccer's Columbus Crew on Tuesday, June 28. Visit RichmondKickers.com for more information.