Richmond Kickers  1 – 3 Pittsburgh Riverhounds 
Delicâte (78’)                     Severs (36’) 
                                          Kouadio-Tobey (77’)
                                          Gray (85’)
     
RICHMOND, VA – (Saturday, May 29, 2010) –   The Richmond Kickers dropped a 3-1 decision to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 2,561.  The defending champions suffered the home setback after conceding a penalty early in the game.  Pittsburgh forward Lee Kouadio-Tobey doubled the score following the restart but Kickers forward Matthew Delicâte pulled a goal back seconds later.  Riverhounds midfielder Tommy Gray sealed the deal in the 85th minute, leaving the home team with no chance of recovery.  The Kickers return to UR Stadium next Saturday, June 5th to host the Charleston Battery and the School’s Out Festival.

The Kickers got off to a decent start, finding their rhythm early on and stringing several nice passing sequences together.  The home side nearly grabbed the lead in the 10th minute thanks to forward Edson Elcock, who eluded his defender with some neat footwork and sent a shot over the bar.

In the 14th minute, Mike Burke played a brilliant cross into the box which found the head of Delicâte, whose effort also went high.

The teams’ all-time assist leader, Burke, was at it again in the 31st minute when his cross was volleyed out of the air by Johnny Villanueva.  Villanueva’s effort maintained the theme of the night and also went over the woodwork.

The Kickers’ home misfortunes continued in the 36th minute when the Riverhounds drew a foul in the box.  Forward Chad Severs calmly slotted the resulting penalty kick into the right corner as stand-in keeper, Mark Murphy, was sent the opposite way.

Minutes later, Severs nearly recorded his second as he got past Murphy and had his effort connect with the side netting from a difficult angle.

The second half provided even more misery for the Kickers as the defensive minded visitors were able to acquire another goal via Lee Kouadio-Tobey.  In the 77th minute, Chad Severs saw his shot saved by Murphy, only to fall right to the feet of Kouadio-Tobey who made no mistake from 6 yards out.

The visitors made life extremely difficult for the defending champions.  Often times, there were nine Riverhounds dedicated to their half for defensive purposes.  With so many players back in an effort to stifle any offensive opportunities, there was a limitation of real-estate in which for the Kickers to operate.

Scoring sensation, Delicâte, was shadowed the entire night.  There seemed to be at least one defender around him at all times in an attempt to keep the league leader in goals absent from the score sheet.  The visitors’ tactics did well throughout the game, but the inevitable took place in the 78th minute when Delicâte received the ball which was cleared off the goal line and punched it home.  One bright spot for the Kickers has certainly been the play of #7.  The Englishman has racked up seven goals in his last eight appearances, scoring almost at will.

Pittsburgh midfielder, Tommy Gray, helped evaporate any thoughts of a comeback with his goal in the 85th minute.  Gray tried a shot from distance which saw its way through the hands of the Richmond goalie and into the back of the net.  A rather soft goal guaranteed the Riverhounds all three points from the contest and an opportunity to climb out of the basement in the USL-2 standings.

The Kickers finish up the last game of a three-game home stand next Saturday, June 5th in a home-and-away series with the first place Charleston Battery. Celebrate the end of the school year and kick start the summer fun at the Richmond Kickers Second Annual School’s Out Festival.  Beginning at 4:00 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium, the School’s Out Festival will feature live music, food, inflatable games and fun for the entire family.  The Kickers pro soccer game will highlight the evening.  Bring the whole family before 6:00 p.m. and purchase a $10.00 ticket that allows admission for the whole group.  Pro Pass holders are admitted free.  Click here for more information.    

Box Score      First Half     Second Half       Final
Richmond             0                    1                    1
Pittsburgh            1                    2                    3

Lineups
Kickers:  GK Mark Murphy, Yomby William, Henry Kalungi, Sascha Görres, David Hertel, Johnny Villanueva (Neil Barlow – 45’), Edson Elcock (Charlie Reiter – 77’), Mike Burke, Bobby Foglesong (Jordan Evans – 45’), Luke Vercollone (Gerson Dos Santos – 71’), Matthew Delicâte

Riverhounds: GK Hunter Gilstrap, Jason Kutney (Ryan Pierce – 63’), Shintaro Harada, Louie Rolko, Sterling Flunder, Tommy Gray, Travis MacKenzie, Alex Weekes, Matt Baker, Chad Severs (Nathan Salsi – 82’), Lee Kouadio-Tobey (Adam Gasda – 90’+)

Shots                        Saves                      Fouls                         Corners
Kickers:           10      Kickers:            3      Kickers:            7       Kickers:           4
Riverhounds:   9        Riverhounds:   2      Riverhounds:   9       Riverhounds:   4

Cautions:
30th minute:  Shintaro Harada (Riverhounds)
35th minute:  Bobby Foglesong (Kickers)
69th minute:  Luke Vercollone (Kickers)

Ejections:
None

Referee:    Jeff Davis
Assistant Referees:   Mark Gorak, Jim Sadowski
Fourth Official:   Shaun Papperman
Attendance:    2,561
Weather:    Clear, humid, 82¢ª
Stadium:  University of Richmond Stadium, Virginia