Edward P. Dittmer (Hershey, PA)
Last night in Hershey, it was at least a "No good passing zone" as the Wildcats poor passing and crossing stymied attacks against a Richmond defense that seemed determined not to make any mistakes. Neither the cast on Greg Simmonds right arm nor the horrendous officiating could be blamed for the home loss. The Kickers got a 72nd minute goal from Peter Luzak, who had subbed in one minute before for Kevin Alvero, and defeated Hershey 1-0, knocking Hershey out of the US Open Cup qualifying.
Richmond took over early in the match, putting together several half-chances and maintaining possession in the Hershey half. Dwayne DeRosario, as lone striker, used speed and skill to create chances for the Kickers. Hershey's attacks would often fall apart shortly after they started as Cesidio Colosante had trouble reproducing his excellent work against Boston. Colosante found himself unable to trap passes, or pass accurately into the box to Mitchell and Simmonds. It would be clear most of the game they would miss Ze Roberto, who sat out due to a red card in Richmond two weeks ago.
Hershey's only real chance came early as Mike Feniger took a shot that struck a Josh McKay in an otherwise empty net. The keeper had come out to defend and Feniger should have put the ball away off the corner.
In the 24th minute Colosante would receive the first booking of the day for a poor tackle on Kevin Knight.
Dwayne DeRosario's constant pressure would force Hershey into making mistakes and giving up dangerous free kicks. A poor pass by Steve Klein should have given DeRosario a goal but it was called back by the referee for offside.
The remainder of the first half was back and forth football with Richmond dominating possession 60-40. Hershey's defense seemed unable to hold the ball and start an attack. They cleared straight to Richmond defenders, or launched off long balls in the hopes that Mitchell and Simmonds could get control. At this point, it would only be a matter of time before Richmond put one away.
The second half would have Hershey play much harder in search of the first goal. Simmonds immediately from the kickoff got into the box and shot just wide of the post. Unfortunately for the Wildcats, their sloppy passing would soon be accompanied by sloppy defense. Ray Goodlett allowed DeRosario to blow by him in the back. Only by Drew Kopp sacrificing his body could Hershey prevent a goal. Kopp would also have to leave the game as he was pounded in the groin or the leg by the shot. Matthew Ford would replace him in the 48th.
Hershey would put together some sustained attacks in this half. A Scott Cannon yellow card in the 61st would give Coach Lilley a break in the action to make a change. He decided to add some fresh legs by pulling Cesidio Colosante, who was largely anonymous, and inserting Eric Kvello in the right side of the front line.
However, the fresh legs appeared to be needed in the back line as Peter Luzak took a pass from Kevin Knight, dribbled around skipper Chris Penny and slotted the ball past LaBerge for a 1-0 lead. Goodlett, who had moved into a sweeping position, failed to back up his captain, leaving Luzak with a one-on-one situation against the keeper.
Hershey's attack off the restart gave the home side its only chance of the second half as Mitchell's shot was stopped by a diving McGinty.
Lilley pulled off his hard working midfielder, Tim Leonard in the 74th for Kevin Jackson, and skipper Chris Penny would leave two minutes later for Chris Marinos, giving Hershey a more offensive squad.
In action away from the ball, the referee sent off DeRosario and Mike Henning in the 87th minute. Hershey's keeper Mike LaBerge screamed at new captain Steve Klein to turn around and quickly restart while Richmond reset its formation. However, Klein seemed intent on arguing with the referee over Ford's ejection, allowing Richmond to reorganize and wasting valuable time in the process.
Hershey's defeat gives them a 2-3 record in the league, with an 0-3 record in Open Cup qualifying. Richmond at this point will now need a favor from their vanquished foes, as a Hershey win or draw will be enough to send Richmond through to the Cup. Attendance was given as 1,457, but looked more like 457 as the torrential rains earlier in the day and circus in the neighboring arena conspired to keep fans away.
Dwayne DeRosario must be the man of the match. He was everywhere today. As lone striker, he created nearly every chance that Richmond had, except ironically, the one goal. Kevin Knight would be a close second. His hard work in fighting for possession and sharp passing kept Hershey on its toes all evening. It would be a surprise if he did not get a second chance at MLS if this was an indication of his ability.
The officiating was less than stellar. If it weren't for poor calls, there wouldn't been any calls at all. The two ref experiment is interesting but requires that both be reasonably competent. Bad calls victimized both sides but probably hit Richmond the hardest.
Hershey: LaBerge, Penny (Marinos 76), Goodlett, Kopp (Ford 48), Henning (sent off 87), Feniger, Klein, Leonard (Jackson 74), Mitchell, Colosante (Kvello 61), Simmonds.
Richmond: McGinty, Cannon, Brown, Fox, Williams, Alvero (Luzak 71), McKay, DeRosario (sent off 87), Feruzzi (Lekics 77), Donahue
