Kickers Drop James River Cup Title
Published on July 10, 2008 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release
Richmond, VA - (Thursday, July 10, 2008) - The Richmond Kickers Future and Destiny battled the Hampton Roads Piranhas in the final stage of the James River Cup last week before dropping the title based on goal differential. The two clubs each ended this year's derby with seven points and a 2-2-1 record over five head-to-head games. The Cup will reside with the Kickers' I-64 rivals until next season. In the meantime, the Future and the Destiny return to Sports Backers Stadium this Sunday, July 13th for their final doubleheader of the season. The Future host the Reading Rage at 3:00 pm while the Destiny and the Carolina Dynamo take the field afterwards at 7:00 pm. Tickets are just $5.00/person for both games and are available at the gate.
Final Home Match In Near Future
The Future meet the Rage for the second time this season after dropping a 3-1 decision in Reading on June 8th. Reading forward James Taranto gave the Rage an early lead in the 27th minute but Future forward David Rosenbaum leveled the score 12 minutes later and held the Mid-Atlantic Division leaders without another goal though the remainder of the first half. The second half restart saw Reading midfielders Adam Gazda and Pat Stanco net two unanswered goals and the Future could not rally back from the deficit. The Rage have since posted a three-game winning streak, most recently downing the Northern Virginia Royals, 2-0 two weeks ago. Meanwhile, the Future edged the second-place Fredericksburg Gunners last weekend by a lone goal margin last week when leading scorer Boris Gatzky notched his fifth goal of the season with the last-minute game-winner.
The Rage are in prime position to qualify for post season play. In the PDL Eastern Conference, the three division champions and the top-seeded second-place club (wild card) advance to the conference championship tournament, to be held July 25th-27th. The number one seed will play the lowest seeded non-divisional opponent in the conference tournament semifinals. The winner of the conference championship advances to the PDL Semifinals, August 1st-2nd. The PDL Championship will be determined Saturday, August 9th. All playoff hosts are determined via a bid process.
Before the Future host Reading, they will travel to take on local rivals Virginia Legacy this Friday, July 11th. Following the weekend's fixtures, the Future will conclude the 2008 season on the road, taking on the Northern Virginia Royals on Friday, July 18th.
Destiny Look To Extend Win-Streak
The Destiny host the Carolina Dynamo this Sunday after a trip to West Virginia on Friday, July 11th. The Destiny hold a two-game win streak after they rolled over the Illusion 4-0 on June 28th before a narrow 1-0 win against the Hampton Roads Piranhas last week. Chelsea Ladies FC midfielder Dunia Susi netted two of the Destiny's four goals over West Virginia while four-year Destiny veteran Kristin Stannard recorded a goal in her first game back this season. Monacan High School midfielder Hallie Rogers capped off the night with the fourth and final tally. One week later, the Destiny edged the Piranhas with a first half lone goal by midfielder Jess O'Dwyer. Goalkeeper Chantel Jones preserved her second shutout of the season, posting nine saves.
With last week's pair of victories, the Destiny have climbed out of the standings basement and now sit just five points behind the fifth-place Dynamo. The Dynamo return to W-League action after a one-week hiatus. Last time out, they stung the Bradenton Athletics 5-2 on the road. Forward Anna Benton connected with Taylor Rose Revito for two of Carolina's five goals with Revito assisting on a third tally on the night. Leading-scorer Hailey Beam added her seventh goal of the season, good for first on the team with 17 points overall.
The Destiny will be without star defenders Kylie Davies (England), Nikki Krzysik (USA) and forward Dunia Susi (England) who have all been called up to their respective U-23 National Teams for this year's Nordic Cup competition, slated to kickoff next week in Sweden.
Next up, the Destiny return home for one final contest when they host the Bradenton Athletics on Saturday, July 19th at 3:00 pm. The match will be the first leg of a doubleheader with the Richmond Kickers Pro team at the University of Richmond Stadium. The Destiny finish the 2008 campaign on the road, traveling to face the Carolina RailHawks on Sunday, July 20th.
The W-League Eastern Conference playoffs open with a Divisional Round between the second and third-place teams in the Northeast Conference hosted by the higher seed. 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 top seeds will play the lower seeds from the opposite division in the conference semifinals. The conference champion will advance to the W-League Championship Tournament, to be held August 1st-3rd. The regular season conference champion will have the first right to host the conference tournament if they met the pre-established hosting requirements. The W-League Championship host is determined via a bid process with the host team receiving a bye to the W-League Semifinals on August 1st.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 10, 2008
- Crystal Palace Baltimore To Visit Krenzler Saturday - Crystal Palace Baltimore
- Donate Tools For School With The Stars - Cleveland City Stars
- Kickers Drop James River Cup Title - Richmond Kickers
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