Hammerheads tie again

For one half Wednesday night, the Wilmington Hammerheads played what might have been their best soccer of the season. Against the first-place Richmond Kickers, Wilmington aggressively attacked, efficiently passed and built a two-goal lead.

But the second half whistle brought a disappointing return to form, as Richmond came out with more energy after the break and gave Wilmington another draw, 2-2 at Legion Field.

Richmond (11-2-4) built several early scoring opportunities, and the Hammerheads' back line turned away each one until the 64th minute, when Kelvin Jones' shot clipped the bottom of the crossbar and found the net to cut the Wilmington lead to 2-1.

Newly signed Wilmington midfielder David Crowley hit the Richmond crossbar on the other end four minutes later, but his shot bounded away rather than slipped under the bar.

And then, the tying goal that has found the Hammerheads so often this USL season struck again.

Richmond forward Ricky Schramm found an opening in the Wilmington box in the 70th minute and tied the match, stunning the crowd of more than 3,000 fans.

"Here we go again, a lead that we let go," head coach David Irving said. "We hit the crossbar, we had our chances, but we didn't put them away.

"Richmond is a good side. They're the team to beat. That's for sure."

Michael Thompson slipped a long, low blast just inside the left post in the 16th minute to give Wilmington (2-7-7) a 1-0 lead. Jamie Holmes set up the play with a pass to Thompson around the arc at the top of the box.

A potential Holmes goal was waved off four minutes later after an offside call. And Wilmington keeper Dan Ruch then preserved the lead with back-to-back saves midway, knocking away one line drive by Sascha Gorres before punching away a quick follow-up.

In the 29th minute, Wilmington built its 2-0 lead off a free kick. Holmes drilled a header into the net off Adam Williamson's well-placed cross from the left side of the box

"We're not trying to lose," Irving said. "We're not trying to give goals away. We're trying to win games. We did enough to win, but we let in easy goals.

"I just wish for all the players that the season hadn't been like this, because we're not definitely seeing the best of our talent."

The Hammerheads now hit the road for three matches, starting with a weekend swing through Western Mass and New Hampshire.