Kickers Bring Heat in Win over Battery

By Katie Mawyer

RICHMOND, VA – June 5, 2010 – The Richmond Kickers hosted Charleston Battery in a Saturday night match at 7 PM. The 3-1 win over Battery marked Richmond’s fourth of the season. The Saturday evening match was the first between the two clubs since August 2005; they will meet again July 3 in an afternoon match at UR Stadium. Thunder and lightening threatened, yet neither delayed the match. In addition to troubling weather, the evening brought temperatures in the high-80s.

The festivities associated with the evening’s game began early. The Kickers hosted a “School’s Out Festival,” of which numerous local organizations and businesses sponsored. Some of those participating included Great Clips, Q94, Soccer Post, Camp Hanover, and Master Cho’s Tae Kwon Do, to name a few. The celebratory event began at 4 PM and attracted fans of great number who furthered their stay throughout the match. Fans participated in games, exercises, and other activities until the match’s start.

The Kicker Kangaroo, Kick-A-Roo, made his grand entrance in efforts to seek the “Most Enthusiastic Kickers Fans.” The lucky winners were awarded with the traditional “best seat in the house,” a field-side view of the game.

The first free kick of the evening was granted to Charleston after just two minutes of play. The following early minutes brought continuous back-and-forth action between the two teams. Richmond took a corner kick at the 10-minute mark. In the next few minutes, there were multiple header-attempts, none of which resulted in a score change.

Kicker forward Edson Elcock took several opportunities to reach the goal. His consistency and agility contributed to the Kickers’ early shots. At the 20-minute mark, Battery forward Amaury Nunes crossed to fellow forward Brandon Massie in what looked to be a goal; however, Kicker goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale was credited with the save. Moments later, after strenuous play, Richmond was granted two free kicks, neither of which the ball saw the back of the net.

After 24 minutes of play, Kicker midfielder Dave Hertel demonstrated his aesthetics in a fashionable throw-in; unfortunately, the throw was wide-right and rolled out-of-bounds. Minutes later, Hertel exited the field to replace his cleats, which were faulty from a previous play.

At the 30-minute mark, Kicker fans were back on their feet. A cross from Elcock to midfielder Bobby Foglesong landed just over the goal, with the scoreboard still reading 0-0.

Pascale was credited with another save three minutes later, further earning his three-time USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year title. Hertel crossed once more after 36-minutes of play; the cross, resulted in another missed shot over-the-goal.

Kicker defender Sascha Görres received a yellow-card after 40 minutes of play. Following the card, Charleston made another attempt at goal; however, was unsuccessful. Richmond’s Elcock made another attempt after 44 minutes; his deflection was wide-right. Stoppage time was not awarded for the half.

During halftime, fans continued to participate in the evening’s activities. A Bounce 2 The Moon express train carted young children around the parking lots and walkways. Moon bounces and slides were also inflated for fan pleasure.

The second half was underway moments after 8 PM. The combined efforts of Richmond forward Matthew Delicâte and midfielder Foglesong contributed to a nice shot on goal, which was saved by Battery goalkeeper Tim Melia. A minute later, Kicker defender William Yomby took a header attempt, which went over the goal.

The action heated up at the 55-minute mark when the evening saw its first goal. Another Richmond goal-attempt and a Charleston foul resulted in a free kick for the Kickers. The kick touched the cleats of multiple players until it reached the feet of Kicker forward Elcock and went in the net for the goal. Elcock obtained the ball after a deflection from Charleston goalkeeper Melia.

With a one-goal advantage over Charleston, the Kickers continued to bring the heat. Charleston fought back on their next goal attempt when midfielder Pierre-Rudolph Mayard took a shot that deflected off of the left goalpost. Charleston continued with several goal-attempts in the following minutes.

After some intense play, Charleston received a foul and the Kickers took another free kick. The kick, which was taken at 70 minutes, resulted in another goal for Richmond. The goal was credited to Foglesong with the assist to Luke Vercollone.

With the scoreboard reading 2-0 Richmond, Charleston had ground to cover. In efforts to answer back, Battery defender O’Brian Woodbine received a yellow-card. The card was followed by another header attempt toward the goal.

The Kickers weren’t satisfied with a 2-0 lead over their opponent. Görres took a shot from 35-yards out and the ball found the upper-right corner of the net. This third goal came after 77 minutes of play.

Mayard scored Charleston’s first goal off a header after 80 minutes of play. Moments later, defender Nigel Marples racked up another yellow-card for the Battery. The match concluded with three minutes of stoppage time.

The Richmond Kickers now hold a 17-16-4 series advantage over Charleston Battery. The Kickers (4-3-2) will not return to UR Stadium until they take on Battery (6-1-3) again on July 3 at 1 PM. Tickets for the match can be purchased in advance via RichmondKickers.com.

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