USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers Suffer 4-1 Loss in Charlotte

Published on June 16, 2012 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


CHARLOTTE, NC - The Richmond Kickers suffered a 4-1 loss to the Charlotte Eagles Saturday night to close out a two-game road trip in North Carolina. Kickers forward Christopher Agorsor and Eagles midfielder Nate Thornton gave their teams one goal apiece heading into the break. Joseph Kabwe handed the home side the edge in the second half before Miguel Ferrer and Christian Meza tallied a pair of goals minutes from the final whistle to round out the scoreline.

The Kickers tested Eagles goalkeeper Eric Reed twice before taking the lead inside the first 20 minutes. First, midfielder Stanley Nyazamba fed the ball to Mike Callahan who played Luke Vercollone wide on the right flank. The former New England Revolution midfielder sliced a low diagonal ball across the box but Reed came off his line to cut down the angle and smothered the early attempt.

Then, in the 14th minute, defender Sascha G�rres served a long ball to a heavily marked Agorsor 20 yards out. Splitting two defenders, he turned at the top of the box and slotted the ball across the box to an onrushing Ross MacKenzie but his low driven strike was blocked by the Eagles "˜keeper.

There was little Reed could do to deny the Kickers attack five minutes later when midfielder Gerson Dos Santos played Agorsor in behind the defense. Eluding the last defender on the right edge of the box, he fired a low determined ball just inside the far post.

The moment was fleeting; however, as the Eagles quickly leveled the score five minutes later. Midfielder Joseph Kabwe narrowly prevented the ball from crossing the endline deep on the right wing and played it back to an awaiting Darryl Roberts at the top of the box. His attempt to put the ball back into the mix was deflected out to Thornton who ran onto the ball and unleashed a one-time rocket to the far post.

In an effort to regain the advantage before the break, a speedy counter attack began when Pascale rolled the ball out to Agorsor on the right side. Slicing through the midfield, he beat his defender to the top of the 18 and played a square ball to MacKenzie on the opposite edge of the box. MacKenzie slotted the ball to Nozomi Hiroyama who volleyed the ball back to Nyazamba but his distance strike roared over the crossbar.

The Kickers picked up where they left off in the opening minutes of the second half when Dos Santos battled for the ball in the midfield and threaded it through traffic to Agorsor inside the box. The Kickers forward sent a back-heel pass to Dos Santos but his left-footed shot glanced just wide of the far post.

The Eagles deflated the Kickers' attack in the 65th minute when Joseph Kabwe intercepted a poor clearance and made no mistake from 15 yards, firing a missile directly to the upper 90 to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead.

Narrowly missing the chance to bring the score even once more, the Kickers squandered their best scoring opportunity of the half in the 83rd minute. G�rres lofted a ball into the box, that ricocheted back out to second half substitute David Bulow at the 18 yard line. Bulow's flick-on header bounded back to Gorres who delivered the ball directly to Yomby positioned at the far post but his point blank nod was blocked by Reed.

The Eagles solidified the victory for their home fans when Miguel Ferrer added the insurance goal in the 86th minute before Christian Meza added a fourth tally in stoppage time.

The Kickers return to City Stadium to host the Rochester Rhinos and the School's Out Festival, presented by nTelos Wireless on Saturday, June 23. The fun begins at 4:00 p.m. at Richmond City Stadium and the School's Out Festival will feature a splash zone, music, inflatable games and fun for the whole family. The first 1,000 fans through the gate will receive a complimentary t-shirt, courtesy of nTelos Wireless. Admission is just $5.00 per person before 6:00 pm.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 16, 2012


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