2015 US Open Cup

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Chattanooga FC upsets Wilmington Hammerheads for second year in a row (video)

May 21, 2015 by Marissa Blackman

In 2014, Chattanooga FC made history by becoming the first National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) team to eliminate a professional team when they beat Wilmington Hammerheads, 3-1. A year later, those same two teams squared off, and history repeated itself. This time, after a 1-1 draw, it took penalty kicks for Chattanooga to oust the Hammerheads.

By winning the penalty kick shootout 5-3, Chattanooga sets up another rematch. Just like last year, the NASL’s Atlanta Silverbacks will travel to Finley Stadium, the place where they cruised to a 5-0 victory.
“As an amateur team playing on the road against a professional team, we just needed to try to be in the game at the end,” said Chattanooga FC coach Bill Elliott. “We didn’t have any allusions that we were going to go out and win it early. We just wanted to hang around and be in it at the end.” That is exactly what Elliot’s team did.

The Second Round US Open Cup match began with the Wilmington club keeping control of possession. The Hammerheads controlled possession with accurate midfield passing, but when Chattanooga got the ball, no time was wasted attempting a goal. Several Hammerhead chances fizzled out in front of the goal because of passing. Each team took three shots by the end of the half. A foul committed by Chattanooga FC resulted in a Hammerheads penalty kick at the 37th minute taken by Zimmerman, who scored the first goal of the night.

The second half was a continuous cycle of each team taking chances that were either cleared in the box or saved, but neither club seemed to be discouraged by this. They never stopped trying. There were several instances where the ball was right feet away from the goal bouncing like a pinball between players. In the 58th minute, Chattanooga broke the cycle when Chrispin Ochieng capitalized on an assist from Samuel Goni. Possession was more evenly distributed throughout the later half. Since neither team was able to score again, the match went into extra time.

The pace of the game slowed slightly during extra time. Both clubs continued taking shot after shot, but neither club was giving away chances. After 30 minutes of extra time, many shots, and several saves, the score still remained even.

Chattanooga FC finally wrestled away the victory by outscoring Wilmington Hammerheads FC 5-3 in penalties.

“They worked as hard as they possibly could,” Hammerheads coach Carson Porter said about his team. “So you can’t ask for anything more on the work. We talked about trying to make plays, and I think we didn’t make a play at the end there. That was a little disappointing, but overall it was a great effort. I feel a bit disappointed for the players.”

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Heviel Cordoves scores, sent off in Charleston Battery’s narrow 1-0 win over Miami United

May 21, 2015 by Corbin Ensminger

Heviel Cordoves scored in the first half and the Charleston Battery was able to hold on for the 1-0 win over Miami United in the Second Round of the 2015 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup on Wednesday night at Blackbaud Stadium.

Cordoves scored in the 40th minute against the National Premier Soccer League (NPSL) side after Memo Rodriguez played a ball from the right side that curved right into Cordoves’ path. He beat the defenders and easily slotted the ball past goalkeeper Eric Perilla for the goal.

The Battery move on to Round 3 where they will host the NASL’s Fort Lauderdale Strikers at Blackbaud Stadium on May 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Charleston, which is in second place in the USL Eastern Conference, dominated the game in the first half, but Miami was able to survive the onslaught with limited damage and did a good job of making it an even contest in the second half.

The Battery could have had multiple goals in the first 45 minutes, as Cordoves nearly scored in the opening minute on a backpass to Perilla that went awry and Dante Marini hit the post in the fifth minute.

It felt like Charleston was destined to score several goals, but ultimately only one was needed. Miami came out much stronger in the second half, so the Battery spent more time on defense and looked to counterattack with long balls over the midfield.

Charleston coach Mike Anhaeuser said the longer the game went on, the more confident Miami felt that they had a chance to tie or win the game.

“They made a few mistakes and we didn’t make them pay early, and that’s what you need to do against a team like that. They were able to bleed through their mistakes and got their confidence,” he said.

The Battery had several opportunities to put the game away, but Perilla made five saves on the night, including an amazing stop in the 79th minute. Cordoves, on a breakaway from one of those quick counterattacks down the flanks, found Navion Boyd alone in front of goal and delivered the ball to him. Boyd directed it to goal but somehow Perilla slid over, extended his leg and was able to kick the ball off the line.

Miami finished the game with seven shots, six of which had to be saved by Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper. Ignacio Calcagno had one of the best shots for Miami when he whipped a ball in from outside the box, and he earned his side a corner kick in the first half. But the NPSL team struggled to create chances against the Battery defense.

The second half turned feisty, as Cordoves was sent off for shoving a Miami player in the back. Because it was ruled as violent conduct, Cordoves will be ineligible for the next two Cup games, should the Battery advance that far. In total, there were eight yellow cards handed out.

Charleston central midfielder Sebastian Thuriere said he has never known a US Open Cup game to be easy. He is a player that can attack or defend well, but had to spend a lot of time in his own half as the Battery played down a man for the final seven minutes of regulation.

“Toward the end of the game we realized the pressure was on them to push,” said Thuriere. “They added some extra defenders and the card made it harder on us,”

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Pittsburgh Riverhounds win backyard brawl with West Virginia Chaos, 3-0

May 20, 2015 by John Krysinsky

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds scored two early goals by Rob Vincent and Lebo Moloto within seconds of each other, and added another by Kevin Kerr in the late stages, beating the West Virginia Chaos 3-0 to advance in their second round match of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup at Highmark Stadium.

After a methodical opening few minutes during which the home team controlled possession, they suddenly struck twice.

In the 9th minute, Lebo Moloto brought the ball into the box, but ran into a wall of Chaos defenders on the right side. As it broke loose, the ball came to Kerr, who held the ball up momentarily before playing it back to the top of the box, where he found Rob Vincent standing all alone.

That was all the second leading goal scorer in the USL would need, as Vincent took one touch and drilled a strike into the right side of the goal to give the Riverhounds the early lead.

“I was able to get into a little bit of space there. Kevin was able to find me. Luckily I was able catch it, swing it with my left (foot). And it got us going,” said Vincent.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Chaos played the ball back to their back line. Pittsburgh forward Kene Eze pressured the ball, disrupted a pass that deflected to Moloto, who took a touch, chipped it over one defender, then drilled a low ball on the ground past West Virginia’s Sean Teepan for the 2-0 lead.

The goals came just 41 seconds apart.

The rest of the match played out with Pittsburgh controlling possession, as they would get 12 shot attempts at Teepen.

Trailing by two goals, Chaos hung around in the second half waiting for a prime oppportunity.

The most uneasy moment for the Riverhounds came in the 63rd minute, as Nick McDonald was making a run in front of the circle, he was slightly pushed from behind by Anthony Arena, earning a free kick for the Chaos inside of 20 yards.

Dion Peters’ took the kick, but it sailed just wide of the left post, and the match remained 2-0.

Kerr added the final goal, as he took a pass from Vincent in the 87th minute in the center of the box, sent a low shot to the right lower corner for the final goal of the evening.

Including U.S. Open Cup play, Kerr and Vincent have combined for 12 of the Riverhounds 20 goals this season.

The Riverhounds didn’t feel they overlooked the Chaos.

“You know, it’s very easy to take a game like this lightly. I told the guys, there have been a lot of PDL teams that have won games like this. We didn’t want to be that pro team to lose,” said Mark Steffens, Riverhounds Head Coach.

“They were going to come here with a lot of energy. They were going to pressure us as much as possible,” said Vincent, a former Chaos standout.

“The idea was to score a few early goals. We were able to do that. It helped set the tone for us.”

The Riverhounds went with a combination of some of their regular starters and some players making their first starts. Their lineup included: Ryan Hulings (GK), Anthony Virgara, Sterling Flunder (another former Chaos player), Mike Green, Anthony Arena, Moloto, Kerr, Vincent, Danny Earls, Boris Zivanovic and Eze.

Miro Cabrilo entered for Eze in the 59th, and Stephen Okai came in for Zivanovic in the 72nd minute, while Jereme Raley replaced Kerr in the 89th.

West Virginia’s starting eleven included Teepen (GK), Predrag Ivanovic, Robbie Oslica, Jordan Lavender, Tyrus Sciarra, Nathan Rose, Daniel Smee, Jordan Halpern, Peters, McDonald and Jared Robinson.

West Virginia’s subs included Carlos Cartagena, Ron McKelvey and Josh Ling.

Earls was booked for a yellow card, shortly after the Arena foul on McDonald in the 63rd minute, and Lavender was carded in the 45th for a dangerous tackle. The Riverhounds outshot the Chaos 12 to 1. While the Hounds had three corners, the Chaos didn’t have any. Chaos goalkeeper Teepen came up with three saves, while Hulings only made 1.

The Riverhounds will now face the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Highmark Stadium next Wednnesday, May 27 in the third round of the Open Cup.

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Richmond Kickers win in-state battle, 2-0 over Virginia Beach City

May 20, 2015 by Scott Wyant

Richmond Kickers celebrate a goal against Virginia Beach City FC in the US Open Cup Second Round. Photo: James Loving | Richmond Kickers

Two second-half goals pushed the Richmond Kickers past Virginia Beach City FC and into the US Open Cup’s Third Round Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory.

Nate Shiffman and Jason Yeisley each scored to advance the Kickers as they will host Jacksonville Armada FC on May 27.

After successfully defending six corner kicks in the first half, Virginia Beach City FC couldn’t clear the first corner of the second half.

Fred Owusu Sekyere’s kick bounced around the six-yard box’s near post and Shiffman was able to put the ball in.

“We talked about working on that near post,” Owusu Sekyere said. “ Yomby out-jumped the keeper and deflected perfectly into Nate’s path and he was able to knock it over the line.”

Added Shiffman: “I was just in the right place at the right time. Yomby headed it down and I was a yard out so I just flicked it, and it deflected off one of the defenders and it went in the side netting.”

With Virginia Beach City FC poised to defend in the first half, the Kickers found it tough to attack the visitors’ goal. The hosts found their chances taking long strikes and threatening on corner kicks.

As the first half progressed the Kickers began to open up the Virginia Beach City defense with quick passes. In the 45th minute the best opportunity came for the Kickers as Brian Ownby raced down the left hand side and cut into the box. The midfielder threaded a pass into Shiffman but Virginia Beach City FC goalkeeper Sean Stowe was able to push the shot away to keep the score 0-0 at the half.

“I felt we played pretty well in the first half, we just didn’t test the keeper enough,” said Richmond coach Leigh Cowlishaw. “In the last 20 minutes of the half we felt a goal was going to come but we blew a couple chances.”

In the first half Richmond held the edge in shots (7-1) and corner kicks (6-1).
Virginia Beach FC’s lone shot on goal came halfway through the second half as Chris Albiston took a shot just outside the box. The shot went directly into the hands of Ryan Taylor who made the easy save.

The Kickers nearly doubled their lead in the 72nd minute as second-half substitute George Davis IV lined up a shot just outside the box. The attempt went past the sprawled Sean Stowe and out of play.

An Owusu Sekyere cross in the 89th minute found a diving Yeisley who buried the shot in the net to put the hosts up 2-0.

The Kickers bested Virginia Beach City FC in both shots (15-3) and corners (9-8) in the win.
With the victory, the Richmond Kickers have now won six straight US Open Cup openers.

“We have a good team we’re used to winning,” Cowlishaw said. “There’s a lot of guys who are winners on the team and we take it very seriously. We want to bring an MLS team to Richmond. It’s our second goal, we want to win a regular season championship and we want to bring an MLS team to Richmond.”

With a win next week, Cowlishaw and company would get that chance.

2015 US Open Cup Round 2: Portland Timbers 2 take over second half, hold off Michigan Bucks 2-0

May 19, 2015 by Eric Wasser

Team introductions for the Portland Timbers 2 and Michigan Bucks at the Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Mich. | Photo: Eric Wasser

It was a quiet night in Pontiac, Mich. as the reigning PDL champion Michigan Bucks got ready to play the Portland Timbers 2 (T2) in the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup. An announced crowd of about 467, about a quarter of the audience for their First Round match against Detroit City FC, saw the Bucks compete in the opening half, only to have the pros from Portland take over in the second frame.

Seth Casiple assisted on two second half goals, one early from Kharlton Belmar and a stoppage time breakout tap-in by Fatawu Safiu to lift the Timbers to a 2-0 victory. With the win, the Timbers will play the winner of the Kitsap Pumas (PDL) and Seattle Sounders 2 (USL).

As each team warmed up in the echoing expanses of the indoor facility there was a notable difference in the alacrity of each squads’ preparations. T2’s preparations looked significantly more focused and intentional, perhaps testing the indoor playing surface.

As the game kicked off, the hometown Bucks truly controlled the game. For nearly the first half hour they dominated possession, and as a result had many good looks on goal. Few were on target, and less posed a challenge to the T2 keeper. Their best shot of the half came in the third minute, yet the lack of consistent offensive pressure from Portland allowed Michigan the freedom to continue to take the necessary risks to create so many chances.

Around the 27th minute, there was a palpable change in the composure of the T2 players, as they began to challenge the Bucks’ defense with quick counterattacking chances. It took all of Michigan keeper Stephen Patterson’s talent and athleticism to keep the ball out of the net, including pulling one shot away that looked to have broken the plane of the goal. This flurry of offensive opportunity seemed to give T2 their first bit of confidence, which gradually led to a stalemate of possession, and an equal amount of promising opportunities for both teams going into the second half, with Portland having finally found their identity on the pitch.

The change from a purely reactionary, counterattacking squad led to a couple of quick chances for Portland in the first minutes of the second half, while Michigan seemed slightly less assured past their defensive half. Finally, in the 55th minute the scoring was broken open as Portland’s debut player Seth Casiple sent a long, outward curling cross to the back of the box, which found itself driven into the back of the net by a powerful header from Kharlton Belmar.

From this point onwards, Portland controlled the tempo of the match, as Michigan was constantly forced backwards into their defensive third of the pitch, clearing the ball long to reset T2 possessions. Around the 80th minute, though, the Bucks renewed their sense of urgency, and created what were their three best chances of the night. In the 83rd minute Michigan had the T2 keeper beaten with a strong head from a corner going straight into the upper left corner of the net. Fortunately for Portland, defender Blair Gavin held fast to his position and managed to head the shot away at the last moment.

“I was assigned to the front post, and I had to defend it,” Gavin commented post-match when asked about his game-changing defensive stand. “You drill that every day in practice, and I knew to stay in my position.”

After that, Michigan’s David Goldsmith and Nick Wysong both had open looks at goal (in the 87th and 92nd minutes, respectively), facing only the keeper, and both sailed their shots long over the bar. After the latter, Portland took the goal kick quickly, creating a three against one situation. Casiple again had the ball at his feet to assist the goal, as he forced Patterson to commit to him before laying the ball off to the flanking Safiu for a 93rd minute goal that certainly put the Bucks’ hopes of advancing beyond salvaging.

Seth Casiple walked off the pitch surrounded by congratulatory teammates, and was quick to praise them and the club.

“It’s incredible to come out and win with a team like this on a night like this,” he said breathlessly, still exuberant from celebration of his two-assist debut. “This club makes it so easy to want to come out and play for them, they make it so easy to feel apart of something.”

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Upward Stars win Carolina border battle with Triangle Brigade in PKs

May 19, 2015 by Susan Faircloth

On May 13, 2015, the Upward Stars FC (NPSL) and Triangle Brigade FC (USASA Region III) squared off in a battle of clubs making their very first Lamar Hunt US Open Cup appearance. After 120 minutes, and six goals split between them, the Stars from South Carolina prevailed in penalty kicks over their opponents from North Carolina, 3-1.

The Upward Stars advance to Round 2 where they will take on another North Carolina team making its tournament debut, the Charlotte Independence of the United Soccer League. The game will be played on the South Carolina side of the border, at Winthrop University in Rock Hill, SC.

Both teams began the game strong offensively, scoring goals in the first 11 minutes. Andre Carle of the Stars opened the scoring in the 8th minute and three minutes later Lucas Silva equalized for the visitors. Triangle Brigade FC took the lead on a Lucas Silva goal in the 30th minute and dominated possession for the remainder of the half. The scoring would not end there.

Stars FC answered back in the 51st minute, when Tom Keen scored on a penalty kick. The Stars scored their third and final goal of the match four minutes later, to take a 3-2 lead. Brigade FC’s Josh Toma tied it up 3-3 with the final goal of the match in the 68th minute.

The Brigade and the Stars held each other scoreless through 30 minutes of extra time. Brigade FC’s Matt Sareett and Stars FC’s Haven Bruce kept the game tied 1-1, after the first round of PKs. Marvin Schmiegge and Greg Fulton would give the Stars a 3-1 lead, as Stars’ GK, Solomon Mocktezuma, stopped the Brigade’s next three PKs.

After the Stars’ 3-1 victory, Mocktezuma was asked if he knew the Stars would win it.

“All the time, all the time. If you don’t believe you can do it, then you won’t.”

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Jersey Express shuts out 4-time champion Greek American SC, 3-0

May 19, 2015 by Jason Sieira

Jersey Express celebrate as they defeated New York Greek American SC 3-0 in Round 1. Photo: Bob Larson

A diving header in the 65th minute by midfielder Marko Drjlic put the Jersey Express into the Second Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, leading to an eventual 3-0 victory over the New York Greek American SC at NJIT Stadium.

Alone at the far post Drljic finished a picturesque goal on a swinging cross from JP Correa that left Greek American’s goalkeeper Brian Edwards helpless.

Despite having the majority of possession the first half, the Express of the PDL looked as unpolished as a team playing their first match of the season would be expected.

The four-time Open Cup champion Greeks, the USASA Region I representative, played road tournament soccer, sitting back and waiting for the moment to counter.

Jersey coach Francisco Da Silva recognized his team’s nervousness associated with early season play.

“I know we had the game, but we just weren’t playing the way we do that practice,” Da Silva said. “All we needed to do to make a difference was calm down our play.”

The Greek Americans, frequent participants in the Open Cup with five appearances in the Modern Era, came out more aggressive in the second half, enjoying more possession especially in Jersey’s half.

In the 52nd minute, the Greek Americans nearly took the lead when Jersey keeper Matthew Turner misjudged an in-swinging cross, giving Detejl a clean header that found the net. As the ball dribbled over the goal line the assistant referee called Detejl offside.

The Greeks got another opportunity in the 62nd minute when Kevin Correa perfectly timed a run as he received a pass toward the right flank with loads of space.

Jersey’s central defender Sylvain N’guessa was able to close down the forward as Correa dribbled into the penalty area. Correa ripped a right-footed shot that cleared the bar.

Once Drjlic — who recently closed out his college soccer career at NJIT — broke the tie minutes later, the match was pried up and giving Jersey the advantage again.

“We were a little bit shaky in the first half because we didn’t want to make a mistake,” Drjlic said. “In the second half I thought the Greek Americans dropped a little bit down, we pressured them higher, that caused them trouble, and after that first goal thing got easier.”

In the 88th minute, Correa provided his second assist when Chris Karcz finished at close range past a small crowd in front of goal.

Correa came on at halftime to provide Da Silva’s squad a little more experience.

“We thought bringing JP in would give the team confidence to just play the ball on the ground,” Da Silva said.”He was very, very important in the change that we made.”

Late substitute Alex Biley put in the final goal in the 90th minute when the forward held off his defender with his back to goal.

Biley received the ball from midfield off a short bounce and slotted inside the left post past a frozen Edwards.

The victory is the first Open Cup win for the Express. Last year, they dropped a 4-2 decision to the Brooklyn Italians (NPSL).

In the Second Round, the Express will host the New York Red Bulls II of USL at NJIT Stadium.

Red Bulls II, who play their home matches less than 2.5 miles from NJIT Stadium at Red Bull Arena, are nearly a third of the way into their season.

Coach Da Silva knows a lack of early season game experience could be a challenge against the pros in Round 2.

“I’m glad we had this game before we play them, because the initial start is going to hurt a little bit. But I’m sure we’re going to do good.”

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Hume brothers lead Midland-Odessa Sockers over Tulsa Athletics, 3-1

May 18, 2015 by Josh Weaver

Three different players scored for the Midland-Odessa Sockers FC, which defeated the Tulsa Athletics 3-1 on Wednesday in a Lamar Hunt US Open Cup First Round game at Grande Communications Stadium.

Walker Hume (16th minute) and Andrew Lopez (35th) netted first-half goals for the Premier Development League’s Sockers, who made their Open Cup debut, and Scott Smith provided the needed breathing room with his 86th minute goal.

Smith’s tally, birthed out of a challenge on Athletics’ goalkeeper Ben La Corsa by Tucker Hume, pushed the Sockers’ lead back to two goals after Jake Schmoker’s stunning shot from 35 yards away from the net sliced into the deficit in the 77th minute.

“Coming out here and getting three goals and allowing one really nice goal from them was a good performance,” said Tucker Hume, who had two assists. “I thought it was a good overall effort from the team and a good starting point.”

Sockers FC advances to face the United Soccer League’s Oklahoma City Energy FC at 7:30 p.m. CDT on May 20 in Midland.

Tulsa, out of the National Premier Soccer League, was out on the front foot in the early stages of the game. Walker Hume’s goal, which stemmed from the Athletics’ inability to clear a corner kick, shifted the run of play toward the Sockers for the rest of the opening half.

Sockers’ keeper Joseph Melong saved Levi Coleman’s penalty kick two minutes after halftime.

Melong finished with five saves. La Corsa came away with six stops.

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Laredo Heat win PK shootout with NTX Rayados, advance for 4th straight year

May 18, 2015 by Zach Smith

After 120 minutes of scoreless, back-and-forth play, the Laredo Heat made four straight penalties to beat North Texas Rayados in the First Round of the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Wednesday night at the Texas A&M International Soccer Complex.

Laredo took a 3-2 lead in penalties before Leon Taylor stepped up to seal the deal, but he missed his first chance. Luckily for the Heat, the referee said Rayados goalkeeper Eduardo Cortez moved forward before Taylor’s shot. He smoothly made the re-take to hand his team the win.

The Heat, who are unbeaten (3-0-1) in their last four Open Cup openers, will travel to Austin for a matchup with the Austin Aztex of the USL on May 20 in the Second Round of the win-or-go-home tournament.

“Me retaking it, I was like ‘You’ve got another chance, you better make it,’” Taylor said. “I didn’t want to put the team in jeopardy.”

It took awhile for both teams to settle in and find their footing in the first half. The first 40 or so minutes of the game were played in the middle of the field without much attacking from either side.

Rayados midfielder David Robleo missed a sitter from the middle of the 18-yard box with less than five minutes to go until halftime. And Laredo’s Angel Hernandez chested down a cross right in front of the net, but his effort was pushed over the top of the net by Cortez a minute later.

While most of the first half was played with Rayados sitting behind the ball and absorbing the Heat attack, the second half was a different story. They came out of the break aggressively, and committed six fouls in the first 20 minutes of the half.

“It was a good test for us as far as our conditioning and what we’ve been working on during the preseason,” Laredo defender Fransisco Lara said. “It went well, and it did get a little bit physical, but that’s what we expect with the American style.”

Second half substitute Salvador Luna had the best chance of the game between both teams in the 90th minute when he got behind the North Texas defense and was one-on-one with Cortez. His shot sailed just over the crossbar.

It was the first game of the season for Laredo, who will begin the PDL Season on May 23, but surprisingly the Heat were the more in shape team. NTX used all its subs before the added extra time, so when the 120th minute rolled around, they were visibly gassed.

“It’s good for us because we have more time to play and more chances in the season,” Luna said. “We only had four preseason games, so it was good that we play 120 minutes and even better that we won the game.”

Looking ahead to Round 2, Austin and Laredo have a recent history. Prior to moving to the USL, the Aztex and Heat were in the same division of the PDL. In 2013, Austin beat the Heat in the conference final before going on to win the 2013 PDL Championship.

2015 US Open Cup Round 1: Virginia Beach City earns first victory with late winner over AC Connecticut

May 18, 2015 by Ryan Dolan

With a backdrop of oaks and pines, AC Connecticut was felled by NPSL expansion darling Virginia Beach City FC 3-2 in the First Round of the US Open Cup.

An ineffectual clearance attempt in the penalty area that was hastily put away by Pat Thompson in the 87th minute sealed the deal for Virginia Beach which will return to Old Dominion to face natural foes, the Richmond Kickers. It was the first Open Cup win by City, but the first by a team from Virginia Beach in nearly a decade. Back in 2006, the Virginia Beach Mariners traveled all the way to Phoenix to win their opening match, 1-0 over the Arizona Sahuaros (USASA).

The first twenty minutes of the contest were fast and furious, with coordinated, short passes leading to opportunities, including Geoffrey Hill’s opener for a VBC lead in the 7th minute.

The players made the artificial turf of Westview look like wall-to-wall carpeting with crisp, but heavy passes. Many through balls were left without a recipient in the middle part of the first half. In the 34th minute, AC Connecticut emerged with space on the flank as a cross was played to the penalty area, which would not have been a big deal except for bad timing, allowing AC to equalize.

Both teams would continue to press, only to be spurned away by defenders at the edge of the 18 for the remainder of the half.

AC’s Zach Zurita was brought in to shore up the midfield defensively, and he did as he capitalized on a loose rebound to give them a 2-1 advantage.

To respond, VBC brought on two subs: Amir Shihata for JerJer Gibson and Thompson for Peter Pearson. Virginia Beach had new-found speed and began to press AC Connecticut accordingly.

In the 72nd minute, a ball made its way toward the AC goal as goalkeeper Stephen Sasso couldn’t stop the ball, he instead got the man and Tyler Cyrus converted the penalty kick to draw level at 2-2.

By the 80th minute it seemed as if both teams were contrite with their efforts. Perhaps they weren’t as fast as last season. Perhaps this field was just too quick. Unless your name is Pat Thompson. As the clock struck 88, No. 8 was able to put the ball away after a missed clearance.