RICHMOND, VA - (Wednesday, July 8, 2009) – The Richmond Kickers are pleased to host the Bermuda Hogges and Ladies Night this Saturday, July 11th. Ladies in attendance can purchase specially priced tickets to the Kickers hospitality tent to browse demos and samples from local boutiques, salons and restaurants. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive a complimentary seat cushion, courtesy of Ukrop’s.
Ladies Night
Ladies are invited to attend an exclusive Girls Night Out party with the Richmond Kickers before the pro game. Starting at 5:30 p.m., demos and samples will be available from Mary Kay, Creations Unique, Edible Arrangements, Atlantic Tanning, Gold’s Gym, James River Cellars, Homemade Gourmet, Edith Meriwether Designs, Vector Securities, CORE Kids Academy, Master Cho’s Tae Kwon Do, self defense demonstrations with the Korean National Tae Kwon Do Team and much more! Hors d’oeuvres and drinks are included and guests that are 21+ can enjoy a complimentary glass of wine, courtesy of James River Cellars.
Prizes include a $300 Rejuvenate Spa Package, courtesy of Nesbit Salon and a $300 gift certificate to Peter Alexander Fine Jewelry, plus autographed Richmond Kickers items and the opportunity for one lucky lady and a friend to have dinner with the Kickers pro team at Home Team Grill after the game. Ladies in attendance will receive a complimentary Mary Kay mini-makeover, a free gift, courtesy of Ukrop’s Supermarkets and can take home other samples and giveaways. Space is limited.
Kickers versus Bermuda
The Kickers look to avenge an earlier season loss to the Bermuda Hogges, having last faced their island rivals on May 9th. Despite outshooting the Hogges 21-10, the Kickers were unable to come back after a 25th minute tally by forward Domico Coddington. Earning USL-2 Player of the Week honors for his efforts, goalkeeper Nigel Burgess posted nines saves on the night, leading the Hogges to their first win over Richmond in franchise history.
The Kickers and the Hogges have met five times over the past three seasons with the Kickers holding a 4-0-1 advantage. One year ago, the Kickers handed the Hogges a 7-1 thrashing at The National Stadium in Bermuda. Forward David Bulow posted his first professional hat trick while midfielders Mike Burke, Luke Vercollone and Sascha Görres added a tally each. Making a cameo appearance on the field, Head Coach Leigh Cowlishaw came off the bench and rounded out the scoreline, recording his first goal for the Kickers since 1998. Bulow and Vercollone notched a goal apiece in the Kickers 4-1 win over Bermuda one month prior when the two teams met in Richmond last season.
Last weekend, the Kickers celebrated a 3-0, Fourth of July win over the Charlotte Eagles. Kickers forward David Bulow hit the target twice while midfielder Gerson dos Santos notched his first professional goal in the first half to take an early lead over the Eagles. Despite playing the entire second half with just 10 men, following a red card ejection to Kickers defender Yomby William, the Kickers were able to keep Charlotte off the scoreboard. With four saves, goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale recorded his fifth shutout of the season to preserve the win. The victory boosted the Kickers into sole possession of second place in the USL-2 standings with a 6-2-5 record. With 23 points, the Kickers are just three points behind the league-leading Harrisburg City Islanders.
Meanwhile, the Hogges posted a 1-1 series against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds over the holiday weekend. First, Bermuda suffered a 2-1 loss to the Riverhounds on July 2nd with Lloyd Holder netting the lone goal for the Hogges to avoid the shutout. Two nights later, Bermuda took revenge, edging the ‘Hounds, 1-0, courtesy of a Damon Ming tally. Currently residing in the standings basement, Bermuda brings a 4-9-2 record and 14 points into this weekend’s match-up.
Players to Watch
Kickers: Kickers forward David Bulow (#10) earned USL-2 Player of the Week honors for his offensive efforts in last weekend’s 3-0 win over Charlotte. Bulow had a hand in all three of the Kickers tallies, notching two and setting up Gerson dos Santos (#18) for the third. Leading the Kickers in scoring overall, he has registered seven goals during the regular season and added an eighth during U.S. Open Cup play. Goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale (#22) joined Bulow on the Team of the Week following Saturday’s win. The two-time USL-2 Goalkeeper of the Year posted four saves on the night to preserve his fifth shutout of the season. Rookie defender Henry Kalungi (#25) has started and played every minute of all but one match this season. The defensive stalwart has helped keep the opposition to just 10 goals. A workhouse in the midfield, Luke Vercollone (#4) notched one assist this season, during the Kickers 2-0 win over Pittsburgh in June. The former New England Revolution midfielder has started 13 of 13 games played this season and is second on the team in minutes with 1,107.
Hogges: Despite limited playing time with the Hogges in 2008, forward Damico Coddington (#10) burst onto the scoring scene in 2009 and leads the Hogges with four goals. Most notably was his tally against Richmond earlier in the season, one week after his game-winning goal knocked off the 2007 USL-2 Champions Harrisburg City Islanders. Midfielder Damon Ming (#26) represented Bermuda on this week’s USL-2 Team of the Week for his tally against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds last weekend. Having earned over 20 caps with the Bermuda National Team, Ming notched his first goal of the season against the Riverhounds. Goalkeeper Nigel Burgess (#12) was integral in keeping the Kickers off the scoreboard in Bermuda last May. Withstanding a flurry of 21 shots, he made nine heroic saves to preserve the team’s first shutout of the season.
Former English Premier League players Shaun Goater and Kyle Lightbourne lead the Hogges as coaches and co-owners. Goater has experience with several English clubs but is most well know for his time at Manchester City where he recorded over 100 goals (1998-2003), leading the club in scoring for four consecutive seasons. Lightbourne spent the majority of his career with English clubs such as Coventry City, Stoke City and Macclesfield Town. Both Goater and Lightbourne have extensive playing experience with the Bermudian National Team, earning 36 caps (32 goals) and 40 caps (15 goals) respectively.
Destiny Host Final Regular Season Home Game Saturday
The Richmond Kickers Destiny return to the University of Richmond Stadium this Saturday, July 11th to host the Tampa Bay Hellenic in their final regular season home game. The match kicks off at 2:00 p.m. and marks the first leg of a doubleheader with the Richmond Kickers pro team. Tickets for the doubleheader are just $5.00 for both matches, when purchased at the gate before 3:00 p.m.
The Destiny and the Hellenic met last weekend in Tampa, when the Destiny suffered a 4-0 loss. One week prior, the Destiny notched their first win of the season in a closely contested 1-0 affair against the Northern Virginia Majestics. Minutes after entering the game, forward Colleen Schohl notched the game-winner for the Destiny, courtesy of a Sarah Hilt assist. Making five saves on the night, goalkeeper Allie Albright was voted player of the match by coach Jen Woodie. The former Collegiate School netminder stopped a 1v1 breakaway to preserve the Destiny’s first win and first shutout of the season.
With the win, the Destiny rallied out of last place in the Atlantic Division standings and now hold four points going into Saturday’s match. Battling for playoff contention, the Hellenic reside at the top of the table with a 6-1-2 record and 20 points. The Hellenic travel to Northern Virginia one night later to conclude their 2009 regular season while the Destiny finish up their campaign on the road to Hampton Roads on Wednesday, July 15th.
