Kickers Earn Championship Berth

Ohio Vortex star Louis Rolko gets 90 minutes in loss to Richmond

RICHMOND, VA - August 21, 2010 - The Richmond Kickers earned their sixth Championship appearance in the past nine seasons with a decisive 2-0 win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the USL Second Division Semifinals Saturday night.  Forward Matthew Delicâte contributed a goal and an assist to send the Kickers to the final round, which will be held in Charleston, S.C. next Saturday, August 28th.  The Kickers will face the regular season champions Charleston Battery at 6:00 p.m., LIVE on Fox Soccer Channel.

Both the Kickers and the Riverhounds entered tonight’s high-stakes match with one result in sight, as each team tested their opponent’s defense in the early going. 

First, in the 17th minute, Delicâte connected on a bouncing pass from Foglesong inside the box but his half volley was deflected by a Pittsburgh defender. 

Six minutes later, Riverhounds forward Jeremy Deighton played a high cross from the right side, finding Matt Tuttle on the far post, but the resultant left-footed strike sailed wide.

Things took a more serious turn in the 31st minute when Kickers midfielder Mike Burke lofted a cross into the box from the left wing.  The ball found Gerson dos Santos in the air, who made a leaping effort to out-jump his opponent and nodded the ball against the running direction of the ‘keeper, only to be denied by the post.

Looking to capitalize on the momentum and building confidence, Kickers midfielder Luke Vercollone fed a through ball to an onrushing Burke, streaking down the left flank.  Approaching the box, he delayed the play and laid the ball off to a wide-open Delicâte at the penalty spot.  With one touch, Delicâte launched a strike on goal but a well positioned Hunter Gilstrap was able to keep the Kickers' leading scorer off the scoresheet.

Delicâte proved to become a familiar foe for Gilstrap, getting the better of the Riverhounds goalkeeper less than one minute later.  This time, defender Dave Hertel worked the ball down the right sideline and served a cross to the lurking forward.  Winning the ball in the air, he redirected it from the six yard line and then watched as the ball rebounded off the underside of the crossbar before bouncing over the goal line behind the helpless goalkeeper.

Determined to make life difficult for Gilstrap all night, Delicâte was back in action in the 39th minute.  Forward Edson Elcock broke free on the left side and crossed the ball to the Kickers resident hit man but Gilstrap was ready this time and blocked his 10-yard missile.

Relentless on the Pittsburgh goal as the final minute of the half ticked on, the Kickers nearly collected another tally before the break.  Shaking his defender, Sascha Görres played a pinpoint pass to dos Santos inside the six-yard box.  Face-to-face with Gilstrap, dos Santos redirected the ball from point blank range but his effort deflected off the big goalkeeper’s chest. 

The second half began no differently than the first, with a battle in Pittsburgh territory ensuring out of the gates.  Within the first five minutes, a streaking Burke carried the ball along the left wing, eluding his defender and launching a rocket over the crossbar

The home side solidified their lead in the 50th minute when Delicâte received a long ball from Görres at the far post.  Playing it back across the box, he fed the ball to a trailing Foglesong, who buried a right footed volley into the back of the net.

Looking to pull a goal back in the 75th minute, the Riverhounds found a second wind when forward Chad Severs beat his mark and unleashed a low left-footed strike inside the 18-yard box that deflected inches over the target.

Without giving up hope, the Riverhounds saw their best chance of the night fall just short in the 90th minute.  Midfielder Travis MacKenzie struck from distance, only to have his attempt ricochet back into the mix and fall to the foot of Deighton 12 yards out.  Anticipating the second strike, Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale kept his composure and deflected Deighton’s effort over the end line to preserve the clean sheet.

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