The Richmond Kickers Destiny of the USL W-League are slated to host the Hampton Roads Piranhas in the first round of the James River Cup on Saturday, June 6th. Kicking off at 2:00 p.m. at the University of Richmond Stadium, the women’s game will be the first leg of a doubleheader with the pro team, who kick off at 7:00 p.m. Purchase one $5.00 ticket to the Destiny game and bring the entire family to the School’s Out Festival and pro game later that afternoon.
The Destiny are in search of their first win after a three-game winless streak to start the season. Most recently, the Destiny dropped a 4-0 decision on the road to the undefeated Atlanta Silverbacks after suffering a 4-1 blow to the Charlotte Lady Eagles one week prior. In their season opener, the Destiny battled the expansion Cary Lady Clarets to a 3-3 stalemate, coming back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the scoreline on a 90th minute tally by defender Katie Carr.
Overall, the Destiny hold a 7-3-0 advantage over the Piranhas since 2004. With seven consecutive wins over their local rivals, the Destiny last suffered a loss to Hampton Roads on May 14, 2005 in a 2-0 road defeat. Most recently, the Destiny swept the two-game series against the Piranhas rivals in 2008, claiming a 2-1 victory against the Piranhas during the home leg before edging the Piranhas, 1-0 on the road.
A local derby that existed between the Richmond Kickers pro team and the Hampton Roads/Virginia Beach Mariners (USL-1), the James River Cup competition was reinstated last season between the Kickers and the Piranhas amateur teams. At stake is the James River Cup title, which is based on the total number of points at the end of all matches played between the two clubs. With three points awarded for a win and one point awarded for a tie, the winner of the James River Cup will be decided following the conclusion of the home and away matches between the two clubs.
The Destiny and the Piranhas will face off twice over the 2009 regular season, meeting first in Richmond this weekend. The series will conclude on Wednesday, July 15th to close out the campaign in Hampton Roads. The Piranhas are the defending James River Cup Champions, claiming the title after a five-game series last season. Although the two clubs split the series with seven points each following a 2-2-1 record, the Cup currently resides with the Kickers I-64 rivals based on goal differential.
