Delicate lifts Kickers into USL-2 final

USL-2 semifinals

If at first you don't succeed . . . well, just ask Richmond Kickers forward Matthew Delicate.

Frustrated for 119 minutes by bad luck and brilliant goalkeeping, Delicate, the most prolific goal-scorer in USL-2, punched an 8-yard shot into the net in the 120th minute last night to give the Kickers a 1-0 victory over the Harrisburg City Islanders in the USL-2 semifinals.

"A game like this, you pretty much expect it to be 1-0," said Delicate, who broke the City Islanders' hearts with his 14th goal of the season. "You never know when your opportunity is going to come, so you have to be ready whether it happens in the first minute or the last. Tonight, mine came in the last."

Needless to say, Delicate was ready. He scored in the last minute of the second 15-minute overtime period. An attempted shot by teammate David Bulow was smothered by the City Islanders' swarming defense. The ball squirted to Delicate, who was prowling in front of the net. He lifted a deft shot through traffic, past Harrisburg goalkeeper Chase Harrison and into the top right corner of the net.

"We had so many great chances all night long," Delicate said. "It was nice to finally get the reward at the end."

Delicate's goal earned a substantial reward: He and the Kickers (12-3-6) will play host to the Charlotte Eagles next Saturday in the USL-2 championship game. That game, scheduled to begin at 8 p.m., will be televised by the Fox Soccer Network.

Richmond midfielder Luke Vercollone, one of seven Kickers who played all 120 minutes, said the result "was so satisfying, mainly because it said so much about our character as a team. It was one of those games where you could very easily have said, 'Oh, man -- nothing's going to go in tonight.' But we hung in there and persevered so well."

Now they will play for the program's third league title and second since 2006.

"What a great feeling. What an awesome feeling," said Vercollone, who joined the Kickers from the Charleston Battery before the 2008 season. "Playing for a championship. This is what I wanted and expected when I decided to come here."

Harrisburg -- and Harrison, in particular -- nearly spoiled the party. Richmond dominated in time of possession, shots (28-9) and corner kicks (14-5). But Harrison, his anticipation as keen as his reaction, put himself in the right place time after time. The former Virginia Tech standout, who wears jersey No. 32 as a tribute to the victims of the 2007 shootings, tipped Delicate's high-quality header over the crossbar in the 16th minute and smothered Edson Elcock's 12-yard header from the left side in the 25th minute.

And at that point, he was just getting warmed up. He twice defeated Elcock, a swift and creative offensive player, in one-against-one confrontations in the second half. Moreover, he appeared to have fate on his side when, in the seventh minute of the first overtime, Delicate's header, set up by a deft pass from Evan Harding, caromed harmlessly off the goalpost.

Harrisburg (9-8-4) threatened more frequently than the statistical imbalance would suggest. A Kickers breakdown in the 23rd minute permitted City Islanders midfielder Ty Shipalane to pierce the 18-yard box with an unguarded net at which to shoot. Perhaps flustered by his unexpected gift, he pulled his shot wide of the right-hand post.

Kickers goalkeeper Ronnie Pascale made the biggest of his four saves in the second minute of the first overtime. He lunged to his right to make a two-handed airborne stop of a hard shot by forward Tino Nunez.

Harrisburg ------------------------- 0

0 -- 0
Richmond ------------------------- 0

1 -- 1

Scoring: 1, Richmond, Delicate 14, 120th

Shots: Richmond 28-9

Saves: Harrisburg, Harrison 15; Richmond, Pascale 4

Corner kicks: Richmond 14-5

Offsides: Richmond 4-2

Fouls: Harrisburg 14-11

Yellow cards: Worthen, R, 32nd; Baker, H, 43rd; Veltin, H, 63rd; Hunter, R, 90th

Referee: Mike Andrews

Attendance: 1,923