Richmond Kickers News Release - www.richmondkickers.com
Saturday, March 12, 2011
RICHMOND, VA – The Richmond Kickers officially opened preseason with a 3-0 win against the 2010 ACC Champions University of Maryland in front of a sold-out crowd at the Kickers state-of-the-art training facility, UkropPark. A 0-0 first half gave way to a flurry of goals when star forward Matthew Delicâte opened scoring in the 64th minute. Midfielder David Bulow managed his homecoming in style, adding a pair of tallies in the 67th and 71st minutes.
With the wind at their backs, Maryland applied pressure, winning a lot of balls early in the midfield. ACC Freshman of the Year, Patrick Mullins, looked especially dangerous and nearly put the Terps on the scoreboard in the 33rd minute when his header from point-blank range was stifled by the woodwork. Shortly after, Jordan Cyrus capitalized on a poorly organized Kickers back line, breaking through 1v1 with goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, but the Kickers veteran netminder swiftly preserved his clean sheet with a reaction kick save.
The Kickers opened the second half with renewed intensity and put up three consecutive goals as a result. First, in the 64th minute, a nice combination on the right wing broke trialist Ryan Heins through the Terps defense. The former Rochester Rhinos midfielder slotted a short back pass to an awaiting Delicâte for an easy tap-in from seven yards.
Three minutes later, trialist Michael Callahan delivered a perfectly placed corner, finding Bulow positioned inches from the target. Able to beat the ‘keeper in the air, Bulow redirected the ball on goal. Then, Bulow and Callahan teamed up for the third tally of the night in the 71st minute when Callahan drew a foul inside the penalty box. Bulow stepped up to the spot and calmly slotted the ball into the left corner.
The Kickers continue preseason training with an intense lineup of closed door scrimmages including matches against Old Dominion University, Virginia Commonwealth University, James Madison University and the Carolina RailHawks. The 2011 USL PRO regular season commences in only three weeks, when the Kickers play host to Orlando City on Saturday, April 2 at City Stadium.
Scoring Summary
64th minute – Richmond: Matthew Delicâte (Ryan Heins)
67th minute – Richmond: David Bulow (Michael Callahan)
71st minute – Richmond: David Bulow (penalty)
Starting Lineups
Kickers: GK Ronnie Pascale, Michael Callahan (Ross Mackenzie – 73’), Jamel Wallace (William Yomby – 45’), Henry Kalungi, Sascha Görres, David Bulow (Rhodney Viela – 73’), Luke Vercollone (Bobby Foglesong – 67’), Gerson dos Santos (Ryan Heins – 45’), Dave Hertel, Stanley Nyazamba (Price Thomas – 73’), Matthew Delicâte
Terrapins: GK Will Swain, Taylor Kemp, Jeremy Raley, Alex Lee, London Woodberry, Widner St. Cyr, Paul Torres, Sunny Jane, Karou Forbess, Casey Townsend, Patrick Mullins