In the first few minutes, each team pushed into the box without making a scoring threat, but in the 6th minute, the visitors jumped out to an early lead. Forward Kevin Jeffrey made a run down the left side, and got nearly to the end line before crossing to a wide open Greg Simmonds, who blasted the shot into the net from no more than a few yards out, and the Kickers had an early 1-0 lead.

In the 8th minute, Richmond goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale had to make a few reaction saves after the Mariners jumped on a loose ball in the box. But in the 13th minute they would even the score, seemingly from out of nowhere.

Virginia Beach's Russell Hutchison played a chip into the box from about 30 yards out, at an angle to the keeper's left, that seemed to be looking for an attacker at the far post. But instead, the ball had ideas of its own, and dropped into the net just inside the left post, and just that quickly, the match was tied 1-1.

In the 16th and 17th minutes, both teams would get good looks at mostly open netx, with Simmonds and Jeffrey failing to put shots on net for the Kickers, and Hamisi Amani-Dove doing the same for the Mariners. The pace of the game to this point had been very brisk, which was quite surprising considering the heat and the humidity. For the next 10 minutes, both teams backed off the pace again, and while both sides had near-breakaways, and dangerous passes into the box, no serious threats to either net happened again until the 31st minute, when a cross from Hutchison found the head of Mariners striker Dante Washington, who had to crouch a bit to get his head on the ball, but put it just inside the right post to give the Mariners their first lead of the night at 2-1. (A shot of this goal is featured in picture #5 below).

The pace was picking up again, with play going from end-to-end as both teams were happy to counter-attack. Washington had two good chances before the end of the half, getting in alone in the 34th minute against Pascale, but chipping just wide right as Pascale charged to to cut off the angle, and then forcing a point-blank save after he had pushed deep into the box in the 37th minute. At the half, the Mariners held a 2-1 lead.

Only five minutes into the second half, the Kickers drew level off a free kick just outside the Mariners' box. Jeffries tapped the ball back to David Testo, who hit a screaming low shot just inside the left post to tie the match at 2-2. Just two minutes later, the Kickers seemed destined to take the lead when Simmonds got a through ball to his feet as he broke through the Mariners defense, but a bad first touch gave Mariners goalkeeper Joe Larson just enough time to charge out to collect the ball.

In the 60th minute, the Mariners had a golden opportunity to re-take the lead when a free ball in the box ended up on the head of Hutchinson, only five our six yards out. But his quick flick on the ball put it just a foot or two over the bar. In the 67th minute, the home side had another good chance when Roland Aguilera's curling free kick from 35 yards out seemed to catch Pascale off-guard, and he was forced to punch it out at the last minute.

The game's deciding goal came in the 79th minute, when Chris Fox played a perfect cross into the box, where Jeffries slipped in behind two Mariners defender, and got to the ball near the penalty spot just before Larson could get to the ball, and Jeffries flicked the ball past Larson and into the left side of the net, and the Kickers had taken a 3-2 lead.

The Kickers had a chance to widen the lead in the 83rd minute when Rob Ukrop's header was just over the bar from less than 10 yards out, but the Mariners were not able to break though to even the match, and the Kickers take the first game of this home-and-home series by a score of 3-2.

The same two teams will meet in Richmond on Saturday night, and I will have a report on that match late Saturday.