Richmond, VA – (Tuesday, August 4, 2009) – The Richmond Kickers are slated to face the Wilmington Hammerheads in their final two regular season match-ups, first traveling to Wilmington this Saturday, August 8th before returning to UR Stadium to host the Hammerheads on Saturday, August 15th. The Regular Season Champion will be determined following the final two matches as the Kickers and the Hammerheads are currently tied for first place in the USL-2 Standings with 35 points apiece.
The Kickers look to avenge a 3-2 loss to the Hammerheads that occurred on the road on July 22nd. The Kickers conceded three second half goals, suffering their only defeat in the previous seven matches. Following a scoreless first half, Wilmington broke the ice in the 59th minute on a Jamie Franks tally. Philip Hufstader doubled the lead eight minutes later with Kickers forward Matthew Delicâte notching his 11th goal of the season to cut the deficit in the 72nd minute. Wilmington reclaimed the two-goal advantage three minutes later when Andriy Budnyy connected on a Kenneth Bundy cross. Veteran Mike Burke notched a second Kickers tally with three minutes remaining in regulation with Adrian Bumbut just missing the equalizer during stoppage time.
The 2008 postseason match-ups were also determined by a pair of games against the Hammerheads. A narrow 2-1 win at home, followed by a nail-biting 3-2 win on the road boosted the Kickers to a second place finish in the standings and a bye to the USL-2 Semifinals. Earlier in the season, the Kickers edged the Hammerheads 2-1 at UR Stadium, courtesy of a last-minute Ben Hunter tally. All three matches were determined within the last five minutes of regulation. Overall, the Kickers hold a series record of 6-3-2 against Wilmington.
The Kickers are coming off an intense stretch that included five games in 15 days, ending last weekend with the Kickers edging the Real Maryland Monarchs 1-0. Burke connected on a Joey Worthen cross to take the lead before the end of the first half while goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale posted six saves on the night to preserve his seventh shutout of the season. Meanwhile, the Hammerheads picked up three points over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds last Saturday in a 2-0 win, courtesy of a goal and an assist by Hufstader. With one game in hand, Wilmington is set to face three games over a seven day span to conclude the regular season, with a match against Maryland next week sandwiched between the final two Kickers games.
USL Second Division Playoffs
The playoffs will feature the top five teams in the regular season standings. The fourth and fifth seeds will square off in a midweek First Round encounter August 19 for a spot in the Semifinals. The winner of the match will face off against the regular season champion while the second and third seeds meet in the other semifinal the weekend of August 21-22. The USL Second Division Championship will be played August 29 and will be broadcast on Fox Soccer Channel. All matches will be hosted by the higher seed, excluding the final, which is determined via a bid process. Richmond, Wilmington and Harrisburg have each clinched a playoff berth.
Family Fest
The Richmond Kickers are pleased to host the second annual FAMILY FEST, on Saturday, August 15th, beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium (just off the Downtown Expressway). Bring the entire family before 6:00 pm and purchase a $5.00 ticket that allows admission for the whole group. Richmond Kickers regular priced admission ($12/adults, $7/youth) will apply after 6:00 pm.
The Richmond Kickers FAMILY FEST will feature live music by local musicians, delicious food, arts and crafts, moonbounces and inflatable games presented by Bounce 2 the Moon, face-painting, the Long Branch petting zoo, and more. Also, soccer fans of all ages will be invited to participate in the U-TURN Soccer Zone for small-sided soccer games, juggle-a-thons and soccer drills, to be held on the field at the stadium, throughout the day.
In addition, Cobb Technologies, the leading document imaging solutions dealers in Virginia, is sponsoring a blood drive for Virginia Blood Services at the Richmond Kickers FAMILY FEST. The blood drive will take place Saturday, August 15th, from 4 to 8 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium. To register, visit vadonor.com.
The Kickers conclude USL-2 regular season play when they host Wilmington Hammerheads during FAMILY FEST. With the pro match slated to kick off at 7:00 pm, the Kickers need your support as they strive to secure home field advantage for the first round of the USL-2 playoffs. Visit RichmondKickers.com for more information.
