Quick Start Propels Kickers Past Isles in Season Opener
March 26, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Penn FC News Release
RICHMOND, Va. - Michael Callahan and Jason Yeisley each scored first-half goals and Yudai Imura added a second-half tally as the Richmond Kickers earned a 3-1 victory against the Harrisburg City Islanders at City Stadium on Saturday, the second day of the USL Kickoff Weekend.
Jose Barril scored the lone goal for Harrisburg in the second half.
Callahan, wearing the captain's armband for Richmond, put his side on top in the 15th minute, and Yeisley, the Kickers' leading scorer from a year ago with 13 tallies, picked up right where he left off with a 23rd-minute tap-in two take a 2-0 lead.
The opening sequence for Callahan's goal started with midfielder Brian Ownby's run to the left, and from a difficult angle provided a cross to the near post. Harrisburg's defense was unable to intercept and from the edge of the six-yard box, Callahan finished left-footed for a 1-0 lead.
Eight minutes later, the Kickers pressured outside the 18 as Ownby won the ball for Yudai Imura on the left. Imura had good space behind the defense and his rolling cross made for an easy tap-in finish for Yeisley.
Harrisburg created several corner kick opportunities later in the second half. In the 33rd minute, Jose Barril's corner from the right connected well with Aaron Wheeler who skied in the middle of the box. Wheeler's header attempt, however, went a little wide left of the frame.
The Kickers came awfully close to a third goal before halftime when Samuel Asante crossed from the left to Yeisley in the center of the box. Yeisley headed from eight yards out and City Islanders goalkeeper Nick Noble made a quick reaction save to his right to keep the deficit to two heading into the half.
Richmond maintained the momentum early in the second half. Imura took advantage of the City Islanders' errant pass from the back line, intercepting the ball and then hitting a slow-rolling shot with Noble well off of his line. It took a couple seconds for the ball to finally cross the goal line for a 3-0 Richmond lead.
City responded in the 51st minute when Paul Wilson crossed from the right. He had a couple of options and Barril had the best look from the top of the box with a shot toward the left of the frame. Kickers goalkeeper Ryan Taylor deflected the shot, but it wasn't enough to prevent it from going in as the City Islanders brought the score to 3-1.
The City Islanders (0-1-0, 0 points) prepare for the second game of their four-game road trip when they take on the Charlotte Independence at 7 p.m. ET on Saturday at the Ramblewood Soccer Complex. City will play its first four games of the season on the road before returning to Harrisburg for their home opener on April 22.
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The Islanders will play their highly anticipated 2016 home opener at FNB Field, City Island, Harrisburg on Friday, April 22 against Louisville FC at 7 p.m. The first 1,000 fans will receive a limited edition insulated koozie provided by Capital BlueCross. Save your seat today!
Watch the match and all USL regular season matches live on USL Match Center. Follow the City Islanders on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram for live updates throughout each match.
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