USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers Suffer Battering In Charleston

Published on June 11, 2010 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


CHARLESTON, SC - The Charleston Battery avenged last weekend's loss against the Richmond Kickers Friday night, handing the visitors a 4-1 decision in the stifling humidity at Blackbaud Stadium. Notching two goals on either side of the half, Battery leading scorer Lamar Neagle carried Charleston to an early lead, registering a pair of tallies before the 12-minute mark. Richmond forward Matthew Delicâte pulled a goal back in the 66th minute before goals by Battery forwards Tom Heinemann and Amaury Nunes dashed any hopes for recovery.

Charleston opened the flood gates in the 10th minute when a free kick from midfield was served to the far post, finding midfielder Ian Fuller in the air. He nodded the ball across the goal where an awaiting Neagle delivered a bicycle kick from eight yards out to the upper 90.

Two minutes later, Neagle struck again, this time following a quick counter. Heinemann won the ball in his own half and played a through ball deep into Kickers territory. A failed offside trap left Neagle 1v1 with Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale, as he calmly slotted the ball into the lower right hand corner.

Attempting to rally back after the early deficit, the Kickers attempted several dangerous crosses and combinations throughout the first half but nothing of substance materialized for the defending Champions.

Directly after the restart and following a few second half substitutions, the Kickers saw their best chance of the night fall by the wayside. Defender Sascha Görres played a long ball into the mix, finding Delicâte in the air who flicked the ball onto Jonathan Villanueva. The rookie midfielder found himself alone to challenge goalkeeper Tim Melia but his strike narrowly missed wide of the target.

Turning up the heat, the Kickers started to find their rhythm, and began to match the Battery shot for shot. Delicâte nearly put the visiting team on the scoreboard in the 55th minute when he received the ball from Villanueva 25 yards out. Eluding his marker with a swift turn, he fired a rocket from 20 yards, only to see his close-call sail just wide.

Minutes later, Delicâte was not to be denied a second time, giving the Kickers some hope for retaliation. Midfielder Bobby Foglesong played the ball to veteran Mike Burke who served a pinpoint cross to Delicâte's head. The big forward nodded home his eighth goal of the season to the far post, leaving Melia standing helplessly aside.

The elation was fleeting as the Battery sealed the victory in the 74th minute when a missed clearance fell directly to Heinemann's foot. Turning his defender, he struck from 20 yards and buried the ball into the lower left corner.

Without losing hope, Burke gathered the ball on the left wing and played Villanueva through into the box. Challenging the keeper alone, he collided with Melia as the goalkeeper smothered his attempt.

As the Kickers threw everyone forward in a last ditch effort to breathe life back into their game, Charleston's Rudolph Mayard cut dangerously inside and fired a 25-yard laser, which whizzed inches over the woodwork.

Then, Pascale held strong in goal in the 82nd minute when Nunes capitalized on a bad touch and launched a powerful strike from 16 yards. A deflection redirected it on frame but the three-time USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year made a leaping save to push it over the crossbar.

The Battery emphasized the victory with a last-second, stoppage time tally when Levi Coleman played the ball to a wide-open Nunes 15 yards from the target. He one-timed the ball to the corner to round out the final scoreline.

The Richmond Kickers are two wins away from Major League Soccer. That's right - just two wins and the Kickers will battle a MLS team in the U.S. Open Cup. The dream starts this Tuesday at 7:00 p.m. at City Stadium when the Kickers face Crystal Palace Baltimore. Don't miss the action! Cheer your Kickers on to Round Two of the U.S. Open Cup. Regular admission prices will apply and Pro Passes will be accepted. Save big on admission by ordering tickets in advance at RichmondKickers.com.

Check out the Richmond Kickers Statistics

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



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 11, 2010


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