GAME SUMMARY

Saturday, May 31, 2008  University of Richmond Stadium
Richmond Kickers                   2 (Nyazamba 32’, Hunter 89’)
Wilmington Hammerheads   1 (Murray 48’)

RICHMOND, VA – As impending storms in the area cleared off, the Richmond Kickers snuck by the Wilmington Hammerheads with a 2-1 victory, in front of a crowd of 2,703.  Kickers midfielder Stanley Nyazamba notched his third goal in as many games while Hammerheads midfielder Chris Murray leveled the score on a free kick, just after the second half restart.  Richmond midfielder Ben Hunter was also successful on a last minute free kick to put the home team up, for the final scoreline.   

The Kickers put on the pressure soon after kickoff, with Richmond striking first in the 13th minute.  Nyazamba hit a 20 yard rocket that was tipped over the bar by former Richmond Kickers Future goalkeeper John O’Hara.  Midfielder Sascha Görres took the resulting corner but O’Hara punched it out of harm’s way, finding forward David Bulow who headed the rebound over bar. 

Four minutes later, Nyazamba struck again, this time after a series of short passes just outside the box found him deep on the left wing.  He slotted the ball through the box, aimed for Bulow who could have easily slipped it passed O’Hara but a Wilmington defender cleared the ball wide at the last second. 

Soon after, Kickers midfielder Luke Vercollone looked dangerous in the 21st minute.  Görres sent the ball through a Wilmington defender, finding a streaking Bulow, headed towards the box.  Bulow turned and slotted a low ball back to Vercollone at the top of the 18 but his strike was easily scooped up by O’Hara.

Richmond was the first to capitalize in the 32nd minute when the Kickers were awarded a free kick in Wilmington territory.  Midfielder Mike Burke carried the ball to his own 40 yard line where he crossed it to Nyazamba at the top of the box.  The big midfielder eluded two defenders; cutting left then right, and coolly slipped the ball past the diving ‘keeper.

Wilmington had their first dangerous look five minutes later when midfielder George Corrie stole the ball of a Kickers defender and sent a back-heel pass to defender John Burklo.  Burklo turned and flicked it to Landy Mattison on the back line, who sent a long ball into the box.  His pass connected with forward Alex Harrison but his attempt narrowly missed the near post. 

The second half restart saw Wilmington take advantage of a free kick when midfielder Chris Murray lined up the shot from 30 yards out.  The equalizer rolled through an unsuspecting defense and right past Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale into the back of the net. 

Wilmington gained momentum after leveling the score, and attempted a few more offensive threats during the second half.  Defender John Burklo sent a 35 yard blast, well over the crossbar in the 49th minute while midfielder Mark Nerkowksi lobbed an easy ball over the Kickers defense, forcing the Kickers goalkeeper to make a leaping save.

Meanwhile, Richmond looked to break the stalemate when Bulow retaliated with a header from inside the box, within a minute of Wilmington’s tally.  Later, Adrian Bumbut unleashed a missile from 30 yards, minutes after entering the game, but his attempt sailed wide.

The night seemed destined for a 1-1 draw in the waning minutes of the match until Görres was taken down, inches from the 18-yard box.  Ben Hunter set up a lightning-fast free kick and placed it over the defensive wall and over O’Hara’s outstretched hands for the final scoreline.

The Richmond Kickers take to the road for the next two, first in Charlotte on June 3rd, followed by a trip to Harrisburg on June 6th.  The Kickers head home to open the 2008 edition of the US Open Cup on Tuesday, June 10th, slated to face the PDL Fredericksburg Gunners at 8:00 pm at Sports Backers Stadium.  Richmond returns to regular season action the following weekend, hosting the Bermuda Hogges on Saturday, June 14th at 7:00 pm at the University of Richmond Stadium.  Visit RichmondKickers.com for all ticket information.

Box Score      First Half     Second Half     Final
Richmond                1                      1                2
Wilmington               0                     1                1

Scoring Summary
32nd minute: Richmond – Stanley Nyazamba (Mike Burke)
48th minute: Wilmington – Chris Murray
89th minute: Richmond - Ben Hunter

Lineups
 Kickers: GK Ronnie Pascale, Kelvin Jones, Trevor McEachron, Evan Harding, Sascha Gorres, Anthony Catalano (Ben Hunter – 63’), Mike Burke (Ian Bennett – 82’), Stanley Nyazamba, Luke Vercollone, Eliot Paschalis (Adrian Bumbut – 63’), David Bulow (Pat Viray – 74’)
 Eagles: GK John O’Hara, John Burklo, Ben Clark, Landy Mattison, Eric Loyd (Jerrit Thayer – 63’), Chris Murray, Mark Nerkowski, George Corrie, Josh Smith (Jonnie Keen – 78’), Alex Harrison (Brian Cvilicas – 66’), Jeff Rowland (Tyler Noviello – 82’)

Shots                Saves              Fouls                Corners
Eagles:  5         Eagles:  6       Eagles:  17     Eagles:  1
Kickers:  13      Kickers:  2      Kickers  12      Kickers:  7

Cautions:
24th minute: Mark Nerkowski (Wilmington)
45th minute: Eric Loyd (Wilmington)
71st minute: Ben Clark (Wilmington)
89th minute: John O’Hara (Wilmington)

Ejections:
None.
 
Referee:    Robert Velbis
Assistant Referees:   Chuck Watts, James Conlee
Fourth Official:    Hagan Barnett
Attendance:    2,703
Weather:    Warm, windy 89º
First Market Bank Man of the Match: Ben Hunter