USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers Game Highlights Festival Saturday

Published on June 3, 2009 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA - (Wednesday, June 3, 2009) - The Richmond Kickers are pleased to host the Harrisburg City Islanders on Saturday, June 6th, highlighting the School's Out Festival at the University of Richmond Stadium. Gates open for the Festival at 4:00 p.m. with the Kickers game kicking off at 7:00 p.m. Admission is just $5.00 for the whole family before 6:00 p.m. and the first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive a cup courtesy of MRI of Richmond. Visit RichmondKickers.com for all Festival information.

Richmond Kickers School's Out Festival

The Richmond Kickers School's Out Festival will feature live music, delicious food, face-painting, video games and fun for the whole family. Plus, don't miss the Trackless Train, 24-foot inflatable slide and Adrenaline Rush Extreme - the largest inflatable obstacle course in the Richmond area, presented by Bounce 2 The Moon. In addition, soccer fans of all ages will be invited to participate in the Kickers Soccer Zone with small-sided games, juggle-a-thons and soccer drills to be held on the field at the stadium throughout the day. The Festival will conclude with the Kickers pro soccer match featuring the Harrisburg City Islanders at 7:00 p.m.

Cobb Technologies, the leading document imaging solutions dealers in Virginia, is sponsoring a blood drive for Virginia Blood Services at the Richmond Kickers' School's Out Festival. Anyone donating blood at the festival will receive a free ticket to a future Richmond Kickers game. The blood drive will take place Saturday, June 6, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium. To register, visit vadonor.com.

Kickers vs City Islanders

The Kickers and the City Islanders meet Saturday for the second of three match-ups this season. The two teams last met at the University of Richmond Stadium in April to kick off the Kickers 2009 home season. Battling to a 2-2 stalemate, the Kickers opened scoring early against the City Islanders when midfielder Mike Burke and forward Matthew Delicâte connected in the 16th minute. Harrisburg answered back with a pair of goals by Mo Oduor and Steve Fisher before the end of the first half, but an off-the-ball foul against the home side brought the teams even when Kickers forward David Bulow calmly converted the resulting penalty kick early in the second half.

Since then, the City Islanders have ruled the top of the standings and currently lead the league with a 5-1-1 record and 16 points. Off to a slow start this season, the Kickers reside in sixth place in the standings and six points behind the league-leaders with a 2-1-4 record and 10 points. Both Harrisburg and Richmond suffered their lone losses of the season at the hands of the Bermuda Hogges early in the campaign.

Most recently, the City Islanders escaped with a narrow 3-2 win over the Real Maryland Monarchs on the road last weekend. Midfielder Tiyi Shipalane led the attack, netting two second-half goals to give Harrisburg the edge. Meanwhile, the Kickers posted their first home win and second shutout of the season in a 2-0 affair against the Western Mass Pioneers at UR Stadium. Kickers goal-scoring sensation, Delicâte connected on a Joey Worthen cross in the 22nd minute and Bulow doubled the score in the 67th minute on a redirected cross by D.C. United loan John DiRaimondo.

Over the past three seasons, the Kickers hold a narrow 3-2-3 record over the City Islanders. 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 nail-biting penalty kicks.

Players to Watch

Kickers: Defender Sascha Görres (#23) returned to the startling lineup last week after suffering a hip injury that left him sidelined for three games this season. The native of Flensburg, Germany represented the Kickers on the USL-2 Team of the Week for his offensive efforts in the Kickers 2-0 win over the Western Mass Pioneers last weekend, marking the second time this season he has garnered the honors. Meanwhile, goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale (#22) posted his second shutout of the season last weekend against the Pioneers. The two-time USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year currently leads the USL-2 with a goals against average of 0.857, having allowed just six goals in seven games. Forward Matthew "Deli" Delicate (#7) continues to make headlines as the Kickers leading scorer with four goals and one assist for nine points. Most recently, he notched the game-winning goal over the Western Mass Pioneers, leading the Kickers to their first home win of the season. Not far behind Deli on the scoreboard, forward David Bulow (#10) is ranked in the Top 10 in the league in both goals (3) and points (6). Anchoring the back line, defender Yomby William (#2) has helped keep the opposition to just six goals on the season. The Cameroonian joined the Kickers just prior to the 2009 season after spending the 2008 campaign with the Puerto Rico Islanders.

City Islanders: Midfielder Tiyi Shipalane (#12) garnered USL-2 Player of the Week honors after netting a pair of goals in a seven-minute span over the Real Maryland Monarchs last weekend. Giving the City Islanders a 3-2 advantage over the Monarchs, the victory boosted Harrisburg into first place in the standings. After three seasons with the Rochester Rhinos (USL-1), Harrisburg welcomed the return of forward Chad Severs (#20) who helped produce the best offensive season in team history, prior to the 2009 campaign. The 2005 USL-2 Rookie of the Year currently leads the league in points and goals, having notched six of the team's 16 goals this season. The menacing Mo Oduor (#19) anchors the midfield for the City Islanders and was responsible for a goal against the Kickers in the 2-2 draw in April. The former U-20 Kenyan National Team player resides in fourth place on the team's all-time games played list. The City Islanders defense is led by veteran duo Dustin Bixler (#3) and Anthony Calvano (#23). Named MVP of the USL-2 Championship game in 2007, Bixler secures the defensive unit for his fifth season while Calvano is in his third season with Harrisburg.

Destiny Doubleheader Saturday

The Richmond Kickers Destiny of the USL W-League are slated to host the Hampton Roads Piranhas in the first round of the James River Cup on Saturday, June 6th. Kicking off at 2:00 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium, the women's game will be the first leg of a doubleheader with the pro team, who kick off at 7:00 p.m. Purchase one $5.00 ticket to the Destiny game and bring the entire family to the School's Out Festival and pro game later that afternoon.

The Destiny are in search of their first win after a three-game winless streak to start the season. Most recently, the Destiny dropped a 4-0 decision on the road to the undefeated Atlanta Silverbacks after suffering a 4-1 blow to the Charlotte Lady Eagles one week prior. In their season opener, the Destiny battled the expansion Cary Lady Clarets to a 3-3 stalemate, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the scoreline on a 90th minute tally by defender Katie Carr.

Overall, the Destiny hold a 7-3-0 advantage over the Piranhas since 2004. With seven consecutive wins over their local rivals, the Destiny last suffered a loss to Hampton Roads on May 14, 2005 in a 2-0 road defeat. Most recently, the Destiny swept the two-game series against the Piranhas rivals in 2008, claiming a 2-1 victory against the Piranhas during the home leg before edging the Piranhas, 1-0 on the road.

A local derby that existed between the Richmond Kickers pro team and the Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach Mariners (USL-1), the James River Cup competition was reinstated last season between the Kickers and the Piranhas amateur teams. 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 two clubs.

The Destiny and the Piranhas will face off twice over the 2009 regular season, meeting first in Richmond this weekend. The series will conclude on Wednesday, July 15th to close out the campaign in Hampton Roads. The Piranhas are the defending James River Cup Champions, claiming the title after a five-game series last season. Although the two clubs split the series with seven points each following a 2-2-1 record, the Cup currently resides with the Kickers I-64 rivals based on goal differential.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 3, 2009


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