USL Richmond Kickers

Destiny Go Unbeaten In Five Of Final Six Matches

Published on July 23, 2008 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Wednesday, July 23, 2008) - After a slow start to the season, the Richmond Kickers Destiny of the W-League rallied to a 6-8-0 record, posting a five-game win streak that ended during the final match of the 2008 campaign. The Destiny handed the Bradenton Athletics a convincing 3-0 defeat during the final home fixture on Saturday, July 19th before dropping a hard-fought, 3-1, road decision to the Carolina RailHawks on Sunday.

Destiny midfielder Claire Zimmeck led the attack on Saturday contributing to all three of Richmond goals against the visiting Athletics. First, she set up an Emma Delves tally to give the Destiny a 14th minute lead. Two minutes, midfielder Jess Varela fed her the ball from the right wing, allowing Zimmeck to notch her first goal of the season. The attack did not relent after the second half restart, as the Destiny out-shot the Athletics 19-1 during the final 45 minutes. Zimmeck capped off the night by adding a second assist on a goal by recent Clover Hill High School graduate Grace Cuenin during stoppage time to bring the final score to 3-0.

The Destiny's five-game unbeaten streak was snapped during the final game of the season, following a 3-1 road loss to the RailHawks. Again, Delves registered first, to open scoring in the 14th minute, adding her third goal of the season, when she connected with midfielder Kristin Lescaleet. Goalkeeper Chantel Jones posted eight saves to hold the RailHawks scoreless until a barrage of three unanswered goals, beginning with a 73rd minute Lindsay Vera tally. A pair of goals in a span of three minutes by Amanda Mueller and Sterling Smith sealed the victory for the RailHawks who finished one place ahead of the Destiny in the standings.

After opening the season 1-7-0, the Destiny posted a 5-1-0 comeback to conclude the season mid-table in the Atlantic Division standings. Zimmeck and Delves finished in a second-place scoring tie with seven points apiece on a combined four goals and six assists. Varela doubled their points by notching six goals and two assists for 14 points on the season. One of just two players to be named to the W-League Team of the Week, Varela garnered the honors after notching three goals and an assist in a pair of back-to-back wins over the West Virginia Illusion and Carolina Dynamo.

Despite the late-season comeback, the Destiny missed postseason qualification for the first time in three seasons. The W-League Eastern Conference playoffs are slated to open with a Divisional Round between the second and third-place teams in the Northeast Conference. The winner of the Divisional Round will advance to the conference tournament, to be held July 25th-27th, with the regular season Northern Division champion and the top two teams from the Atlantic Division. The conference champion will advance to the W-League Championship Tournament, to be held July 31st- August 2nd in Hampton Roads.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 23, 2008


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