USL Richmond Kickers

Two-Game Road Stand This Weekend

Published on April 29, 2010 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


Richmond, VA - (Thursday April 29, 2010) - The Richmond Kickers take to the road this weekend to face the Real Maryland Monarchs in their first away game this Saturday, May 1st. Continuing north, the Kickers take on the Pittsburgh Riverhounds one day later. The Kickers will return to UR Stadium on Saturday, May 8th to swap home field advantage with the Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. Order tickets in advance at RichmondKickers.com and save $2.00 on admission.

Kickers versus Monarchs

The Richmond Kickers hold a 3-1-0 record over Maryland and meet the Monarchs for the first time this season. The two clubs last met in Richmond at the end of the 2009 campaign when the Kickers edged their I-95 rivals 1-0 on a lone goal by Mike Burke. The scoreline was reversed two months earlier when a 1-0 decision fell to Maryland on their home turf.

Real Maryland has started their third campaign with a record of 1-1-1, most recently dropping a 1-0 decision to the Charleston Battery on Tuesday. Goalkeeper Brian Levey has allowed just one goal in the past three matches, posting two shutouts against Charleston and Harrisburg to open the season. Former Kickers midfielder Ben Hunter notched his first goal for the Monarchs last weekend in a 2-0 affair against the City Islanders. Maryland will be without midfielder Jyler Noviello who was sent off after a last minute skirmish against the Battery earlier in the week.

Last season, the Monarchs finished in fifth place in the standings with a record of 8-10-2 and 26 points. Qualifying for postseason play, Maryland was ousted from the playoffs by the eventual USL-2 Finalists, Charlotte Eagles, in the First Round.

Kickers versus Riverhounds

Overall, Richmond holds a 10-4-2 record over Pittsburgh with a rivalry dating back to 1999 when the two franchises competed in the USL First Division. The Kickers edged the Riverhounds 2-0-1 last season, most recently having met in Pittsburgh on June 26th when the 2009 Goal Scoring Champion Matthew Delicâte knocked home a pair of goals to defeat the home team 2-1. Delicâte was responsible for the game-winning goal two weeks prior when the Kickers shutout the Riverhounds 2-0. Delicâte was instrumental again when the two clubs battled to a 1-1 stalemate in Richmond early in the season, adding an assist to the scoreline.

The Riverhounds will be searching for their first goal of the season after recently recording a pair of scoreless draws against Maryland and Pittsburgh to start the season. Goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap posted 11 saves to preserve the back-to-back shutouts. In 2009, Pittsburgh narrowly missed postseason contention, sitting just four points away from the final playoff spot, despite a respectable 2-2-1 mark in the final five games of the season.

Following this weekend's match-up, the Riverhounds have a one week break before a back-to-back road trip in Charlotte and Charleston the weekend of May 14th.

Last Time Out

The Richmond Kickers are coming off a disappointing 1-0 loss to the Charlotte Eagles last weekend. The Eagles avenged last year's Championship match by handing the Kickers their first regular season loss at the University of Richmond Stadium since 2006. Eagles midfielder Jorge Herrera connected with forward Gus Bentos in the 29th minute for the lone goal of the night. Despite offensive pressure in the second half, including a brilliant cross by Charlie Reiter that was just missed by Delicâte, the Kickers were unable to register the equalizer.

Team of the Week Honors

Despite the unsatisfactory result against Charlotte last week, Kickers veteran Luke Vercollone was honored on the USL-2 Team of the Week for his consistent performance in the midfield. One week prior, Delicâte earned USL-2 Player of the Week honors for notching a pair of goals in the 2-2 home opening draw against Harrisburg on April 17th.

Next Up

Following the next two road matches, the Kickers return to the University of Richmond Stadium on Saturday, May 8th to host the Real Maryland Monarchs at 7:00 p.m. The Kickers travel back to Maryland one week later to finish a three-game back and forth affair with their local rivals before a two-game home stand on May 21st and May 29th rounds out the month.

A full-service soccer club with over 6,000 players competing in youth, adult, amateur and professional programs, the Richmond Kickers pyramid structure serves as a model to soccer clubs across the country. For more information, visit RichmondKIckers.com.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 29, 2010


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