Delicate’s goal gives Kickers exhibition victory

Stymied all night by the Carolina RailHawks' defense, Matt Delicate knew opportunity was knocking the second he saw teammate Sasha Gorres flick a pass into the center of the penalty area.

Delicate, a VCU graduate who has returned to Richmond after three seasons with the Rochester Rhinos, beat Carolina goalkeeper Caleb Patterson Sewell to the ball and knocked it into the vacated net in the 90th minute as the Kickers edged the RailHawks 1-0 in an exhibition match last night at Sports Backers Stadium.

"It was just a great ball by Sasha, behind the defense but in front of the keeper," Delicate said. "You hope to get a few of those chances through the match. I was lucky enough to get one at the end."

Delicate's tally was a sudden reversal of fortunes for both teams and a crowd of 1,948, which likely anticipated a draw as the clock ticked into the final minute without a goal.

Carolina, a USL-1 squad that has been practicing since mid-February and already had played two exhibitions, generated most of the quality scoring chances and would've netted at least two goals if not for acrobatic saves by Richmond keeper Ronnie Pascale.

The 11-year veteran dived and got his right hand on a perfectly placed header by Joseph Kabwe in the 29th minute. He made an even better save later in the first half, denying Jack Stewart's point-blank header three minutes before halftime.

"As we get older, we call it being experienced and knowing where to put ourselves," Pascale said with a smile.

Even proper positioning couldn't help Pascale get a hand on Daniel Paladini's 30-yard blast with 15 minutes left in a mostly uneventful second half. Fortunately for the Kickers, the ball hit the crossbar and bounced away.

It was one of two posts hit by Carolina, which finished with an 8-6 edge in shots and had five corner kicks to one for Richmond.

"They were unfortunate to hit the woodwork a couple times, and we were opportunistic with our chances," Pascale said. "That's soccer. I thought our guys did a good job battling, and we learned from our mistakes as the game went on."

Pascale acknowledged fitness was an issue for the Kickers, who held their first outdoor practice Wednesday and won't open the regular season until April 18 at home against the Harrisburg City Islanders.

He also suggested the team shouldn't get "too carried away" with its victory over a squad that beat the MLS New England Revolution 1-0 in an exhibition last month. Richmond blanked D.C. United 3-0 in an exhibition last season, but lost two of its first three regular-season matches.

"We have to take it for what it is, stay grounded and realize we have a lot of work to do," he added.

Richmond coach Leigh Cowlishaw agreed with his goalkeeper's assessment, noting that last night's match was about identifying the Kickers' weaknesses so they can attempt to fix them before the start of the regular season.

Still, on a night when a tie would've been acceptable, Cowlishaw was pleased with the outcome and happy to have Delicate back in the Kickers' lineup.

"The result wasn't important, but it's always better to win," he said. "[Delicate] gives us a physical presence up front and he scores goals. When you have those two things, you're a big help to your team."