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Showing posts from August, 2015

Hammerheads Tie Montreal

by Marissa Blackman For the second time this season, the Wilmington Hammerheads FC  competed against FC Montreal. Although the first half of the match was competitive, both teams were lacking at times. There was a bit of disconnection in passes between the Hammerheads in the early minutes of the match which lead to some preventable turnovers. Montreal certainly made its presence known by maintaining a fair share of possession, but the Canadian club never did much with the ball. Each time Montreal attempted to approach the goal, the Hammerheads cleared the ball. There were virtually no moments in the first half where Montreal made a real threat of a goal. The Hammerheads made several goal attempts but none were successful. Although the first half was a goalless one, the Hammerheads seemed much more likely to score. In the second half, Montreal had a larger presence. Though FC Montreal maintained possession in the first minutes after half time, the efforts did not force Hammerheads

#GameDayEve Rochester Rhinos Edition

by Marissa Blackman Tomorrow, Wilmington Hammerheads FC competes against table leader Rochester Rhinos. The Hammerheads and the Rhinos have only met once this season when the clubs played to a 1-1 draw back in May. Since then, the Hammerheads have sunk to the bottom of the table while the Rhinos have ascended to the top with the closest competition, Louisville City FC, three points behind. Statistically, the Rhinos and the Hammerheads are polar opposites. The Rhinos have scored 26 goals and won 12 times this season, and the Hammerheads scored 16 goals, a quarter or which occurred in the recent victory over NYRB II, and won three games, two of which were against NYRBII. (For more on why the Hammerheads seems to do so well against the Red Bulls, see my comments here ) These number paint the picture that the Hammerheads should be easy pickings for the Rhinos, but the match will be far more competitive than the statistics imply. Here's why: The Hammerheads are coming off of a 4

Hammerheads Win At Home

by Marissa Blackman Tonight's match marks the third time this season that the Wilmington Hammerheads played against New York Red Bulls II. The last time the two clubs met, the Hammerheads lost at home by a one goal deficit. From the opening seconds of the match, the Hammerheads were determined not to allow a similar result. Before a full minute passed, the Hammerheads attempted a goal. Although that first shot was far off target, it established the rhythm of the match. The Hammerheads maintained control, and had chances, whether from corner kicks or in open play. One of those attempts hit the target in the 19th minute when midfielder Stefan Drefregger scored the first goal of the match.Though the Hammerheads continued to maintain possession, the Red Bulls were able to get the ball and break through the defense to equalize in the 35th minute. The Hammerheads regained the lead  when Drefregger, assisted by Qudus Lawal,  put another goal on the score sheet. Just ten minutes later,

#GameDayEve New York Red Bulls II Edition

by Marissa Blackman The USL regular season continues on steadily. The year has seemed to fly by, but this season is already in its final full calendar month. Wilmington Hammerheads FC plays its twenty-first game of the year tomorrow against New York Red Bulls II. This is not the first time these two clubs have met. The Hammerheads earned the first 3-0 victory of the season against the Red Bulls back in April. In June, the Red Bulls defeated the Hammerheads 1-0. Currently, NYRBII sits in fifth place with a total of thirty-two points, and the Wilmington club sits in twelfth place with a season tally of twelve points. The most recent Hammerheads match was a 3-0 loss at the hands of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds that occurred last Saturday. This Wednesday, the Red Bulls drew two all with Charlotte Independence. The Hammerheads have seen a few roster changes in the past weeks. Most recently, Hammerhead forward Nick Zimmerman retired  and has become a coach at Columbus State University.