The Richmond Kickers didn’t bring cherry bombs or ladyfingers to their Fourth of July matinee with the Charlotte Eagles. They did, however, bring the next best thing: forward David Bulow. Bulow, hotter than a proverbial firecracker, scored a pair of first-half goals to carry the Kickers to a 3-0 victory over Charlotte yesterday at University of Richmond Stadium. Bulow’s goals, his sixth and seventh of the USL-2 season, lifted Richmond into sole possession of second place in the USL-2 standings. The Kickers (6-2-5, 23 points) trail front-running Harrisburg by only three points.

So powerful was the first impression made by Leigh Cowlishaw upon Kenny Cutler that Cowlishaw is now getting the opportunity to make a second impression. Cutler. a skilled and savvy midfielder/defender, joined the Richmond Kickers in March after four seasons with Real Salt Lake of MLS. In the process, he reestablished connections with Cowlishaw, the Kickers’ veteran coach. Cowlishaw worked as a Richmond Strikers youth coach while attending the University of Richmond in the early 1990s. Cutler, then a pre-teenager, was one of his players.