Richmond, VA – (Wednesday, May 5, 2010) – The Richmond Kickers return to the University of Richmond Stadium this Saturday, May 8th to host the Real Maryland Monarchs and Rec-stravaganza at 7:00 p.m. The first 500 fans through the gate will receive a special gift, courtesy of Flowers Baking Company. All recreational soccer players are invited to attend with their Youth Pro Passes and parents and friends can purchase discounted tickets in advance. Order general admission tickets via RichmondKickers.com and save $2.00.
The Kickers face the Monarchs for the second time in eight days on Saturday after recently claiming their first win against their I-95 rivals last weekend. The two clubs meet again one week later in Maryland to close out a three game home-and-away affair. Richmond hosts Maryland on Saturday, August 14th to round out the 2010 series.
The Kickers picked up three points on the road, edging the Monarchs 1-0. Scoreless through the first half, Kickers forward Matthew Delicâte connected on a well-placed cross by defender David Hertel in the 77th minute. The Monarchs were denied by the woodwork twice in a span of five minutes in the second half and Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale posted three saves to preserve the shutout. Overall, the Kickers hold a 4-1-0 over Maryland with the clubs splitting the series last year, each by a margin of 1-0.
Players to Watch
Kickers: Playmaker Luke Vercollone (#4) started all 20 regular season games in 2009, notching an impressive 1,160 minutes. He finished last season with two assists, and was recently honored on the USL-2 Team of the Week for his consistent performance in the midfield two weeks ago against Charlotte. Forward Edson Elcock (#11) adds impressive speed and skill to the Kickers front line. Elcock has added momentum to the Kickers squad this season with numerous exciting looks at the goal. Searching for his first goal of the 2010 campaign, he notched the equalizer in the USL-2 Championship match last season, leading the team to their second title in four seasons. Former Kickers youth player Bobby Foglesong (#14) has already become a key playmaker and distributor for the Kickers this season. Foglesong joins the Kickers after an impressive career at Old Dominion University, where he started all of his 19 matches as a senior, and contributed one assist and one game winning goal in his final season.
Monarchs: Former Kickers midfielder Ben Hunter (#7) notched his first goal for the Monarchs two weeks ago in a 2-0 victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders. Hunter nearly scored against his former team last Saturday when he got a piece of the ball off a corner but was denied by the post. Midfielder Sean Rush (#5) supplied the other goal in the Monarch’s decisive 2-0 win over Harrisburg. The assist was supplied by teammate Jamie Darvill (#11). Both Rush and Darvill earned USL-2 Team of the Week honors last week, alongside teammate Gareth Evans (#23). Evans has solidified the Monarchs backline, allowing only two goals in their first four games of the 2010 season.
Team of the Week Honors
Richmond Kickers forward Matthew Delicâte earned USL-2 Player of the Week honors for the second time this season. Delicâte has provided four goals in four games for the Kickers, garnering this week’s nod after tallying both goals for the Kickers last weekend. After notching the game-winning lone goal against the Monarchs on Saturday, he found a miracle in the final seconds of stoppage time to level the score, after trailing due to an unfortunate own goal on Sunday in Pittsburgh. Kickers defender Yomby William was also honored, earning Team of the Week honors for his solid defensive efforts to shutout the Monarchs last weekend and leading the team to their first win of the season.
