USL-1 Richmond Kickers

Kickers Host 2004 USL First Division Finalist Seattle This Friday

Published on June 1, 2005 under USL First Division (USL-1)
Richmond Kickers News Release


RICHMOND, VA – (Friday, June 3, 2005) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to host 2004 USL First Division Finalist Seattle Sounders this Friday, June 1st at 7:00 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium. This Friday's match will mark the Sounders' first away game of the 2005 campaign and their first-ever match in Richmond. It will also be only the second time the two teams have collided. The last and initial battle was on July 28, 2001 when Seattle defeated Richmond in Washington, 3-0.

The Kickers enter the match this week at the top of the USL First Division standings with a record of 8-1-1 and 25 points while Seattle brings a 2-1-2 record and eight points to Richmond. Earlier in the week, the Kickers shutout the Charleston Battery by a margin of two goals whereas the Sounders enter the match after nine days off following a 1-0 victory over the Virginia Beach Mariners on Wednesday, May 25th. The Sounders will travel to Virginia Beach for a rematch Saturday night.

"Seattle has a great defensive record so far and they will be a difficult team to break down," comments Richmond Kickers Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw. "With the lengthy layoff, they will be a formidable opponent."

Players to Watch:

Kickers: Richmond Kickers leading scorer Matthew Delicâte recorded both goals in the 2-0 shutout over Charleston earlier in the week, boosting his totals to eight goals and two assists for 18 points. He continues to lead the league in points and is tied for first in goals scored. An assist by rookie midfielder Sascha Görres led to Delicâte's first goal of the night and he is now ranked 10th in the league with six points (2 goals, 2 assists). Veteran midfielder Mike Burke tallied an assist on the second goal, for his seventh point of the 2005 campaign. Burke is now second in scoring for the Kickers with three goals and one assist. Goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale recorded his third shutout of the season and is ranked second in the league in goals against (7), saves (37) and goals against average (0.700).

Sounders: 2004 Seattle leading scorer and former MLS star Welton Melo returns after recording 10 goals for 20 points last season and tallied the Sounders first goal of the season in the 2-1 season opening loss to Portland. Forward Roger Levesque also returns after spending the 2004 season on loan from the San Jose Earthquakes and was responsible for the game-winning goal in the 1-0 victory over Charleston earlier this season. Joining the Sounders roster after a collegiate career at Cal State Fullerton University, rookie midfielder Brent Whitfield scored his first professional goal on May 25th in the 1-0 win over Virginia Beach. Goalkeeper Preston Burpo leads the team in several all-time goalkeeper statistics including games played (88), saves (387) and minutes (7708). He has not been scored upon during the 2005 campaign, accountable for four shutouts in four games played.

"Score With Reading!" Night

Join us this Friday as we celebrate the "Score With Reading!" participants who achieved 100% of their reading goals this year. An exciting way to motivate children to improve their reading skills, the "Score With Reading!" program requires students to reach three reading goals tailored to their specific needs. When the three goals are achieved, the student has scored a "hat trick" and receives two complimentary tickets to the Richmond Kickers match on June 3rd.

The program was launched at one pilot school in Chesterfield County during the 2004 season and has since grown to include six schools in Chesterfield County (A.M. Davis Elementary, Bon Air Elementary, Providence Elementary and Marguerite Christian Elementary), Hopewell (Dupont Elementary) and the City of Richmond (Mary Munford Elementary) for the 2005 season. Over 1,600 students are expected to have reached their reading goals.

Check out the Richmond Kickers Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



USL First Division Stories from June 1, 2005


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central