James River Cup Comes To Exciting Close Thursday
Published on July 1, 2008 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release
Richmond, VA - (Tuesday, July 1, 2008) - The 2008 James River Cup will come to a dramatic finish this Thursday, July 3rd in Hampton Roads as the Piranhas and the Kickers are both tied at 1-1-1 after the first three head-to-head fixtures. The Destiny face the W-League Piranhas at 5:30 pm at Virginia Wesleyan College with the Future and the PDL Piranhas taking the field immediately following at 8:00 pm.
This season, the Richmond Kickers and Hampton Roads Piranhas reinstated the James River Cup, a local derby that existed between the Richmond Kickers pro team and the former Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach Mariners franchises (USL-1). For the first time in history, the 10th edition of the James River Cup will be determined between the Richmond Kickers and Hampton Roads Piranhas PDL and W-League teams, crowning a Club Champion.
The PDL teams are slated to collide for the third and final time this season, while the W-League teams will have met twice for a total of five games and 15 total points. The Future battled the PDL Piranhas to a 1-1 stalemate to open this year's derby before dropping a 3-1 decision last month. Meanwhile, the Destiny claimed their first win of the season over the W-League Piranhas, picking up three points and keeping the tournament tied at four points each.
At stake is the James River Cup title, which is based on the total number of points at the end of all matches played between the two clubs. With three points awarded for a win and one point awarded for a tie, the winner of the James River Cup will be decided following the conclusion of the home and away matches between the Richmond Kickers Future (PDL) and the PDL Piranhas combined with the total number of points between the Richmond Kickers Destiny (W-League) and W-League Piranhas during the 2008 season.
Tiebreakers
Should this year's tournament end in a tie, the winner will be determined by goal differential between the two clubs. If the score still remains balanced, the tiebreaker will be the club who scored the most goals, before moving on to regular season points between both clubs to decide the keeper of the Cup.
Last Time Out
The Kickers posted a successful weekend, with the Future drawing the Cape Cod Crusaders 2-2. The extreme heat and league leaders could not down the Future who took an early lead over the Crusaders on a David Rosenbaum tally, courtesy of Andy McIntosh. Cape Cod rallied back from a 1-0 deficit on a Liam Maloney goal to tie the game at one apiece prior to the break. The second half restart saw the Crusaders steal the advantage four minutes into the half when Graham Munro connected on a feed by Joel Theissen, his second assist on the day. The Future found the equalizer three minutes later with Rosenbaum and McIntosh teaming up once more, this time with McIntosh taking the glory. Kickers goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra made seven heroic saves during the second half to preserve the score.
Posting their second win of the season, the Destiny added a flurry of goals to finish the doubleheader with a 4-0 romp over the West Virginia Illusion. Midfielder Kristin Stannard made a Destiny come-back, rejoining her former W-League squad midseason. Making an immediate impact, she received the ball from Emma Delves at midfield and cracked a 20-yard blast to the far post to put the home team up in the 12th minute. Soon after, forward Dunia Susi (Chelsea Ladies FC) doubled and then tripled the score, netting two unanswered goals on either side of the half. Later, 17-year old Hallie Rogers tallied her first goal of the season when she received a cross from Claire Zimmick and poked the ball past a diving keeper, just a few yards from the target in the 83rd minute.
Meanwhile, the PDL Piranhas and W-League Piranhas are each on a two-game slide, including a 3-1 loss to the Newark Ironbound Express and a 4-1 loss to the Carolina RailHawks, respectively last Saturday.
The Future continue a three-game road stand following Thursday's match-up in Hampton Roads, traveling to face I-95 rivals Fredericksburg Gunners on July 5th followed by a trip to the Virginia Legacy on July 11th. The Destiny meet the Illusion again, making the trip to West Virginia on July 11th before both teams return home for their final PDL/W-League home doubleheader on Sunday, July 13th at Sports Backers Stadium. The Future host the Reading Rage at 3:00 pm, followed by a W-League contest between the Destiny and the Carolina Dynamo at 7:00 pm.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 1, 2008
- City Stars Dream U.S. Open Cup Run Comes To An End In Chicago - Cleveland City Stars
- Kickers blanked in loss - Richmond Kickers
- City Stars take 4-1 decision - Cleveland City Stars
- James River Cup Comes To Exciting Close Thursday - Richmond Kickers
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