The Fredericksburg Generals ended 2007 on a positive note Saturday night as they took charge of the PASL Mid-Atlantic Division heading into the Christmas break. Six-point performances from captain Kelvin Jones and Eric Dutt secured a Generals 18-15 victory over their central Virginia rivals the Richmond Rowdies. Kelvin Jones led all scorers with 3 goals and Eric Dutt added two goals and two assists in the win.
Kevin Edwards opened the scoring in the third minute as he stole a pass from Richmond keeper Tommy Wendle and calmly placed a shot into the back of the net. Richmond then tied the score at 2-2 on a power play goal from Caleb Stoddart. The first half was marred by blue and yellow card penalties for both teams. Fredericksburg was unable to capitalize on a 5 on 3 power play to as the first quarter expired with the teams level at 2-2.
A second quarter barrage on the Rowdies goal gave the Fredericksburg Generals a comfortable halftime lead. A series of quality passing led to a Denny Fulk goal off of a crafty no-look pass from Eric Dutt to push the home team in front 4-2 at the beginning of the second quarter. Kelvin Jones added his first goal of the night as forward Dan Hinkley used some hard defensive work to create a turnover in the Generals offensive third. Hinkley stole the ball and raced to the corner of the goal and coolly slipped it across the front of the goal to an onrushing Kelvin Jones for a tap-in to make it 6-2. Eric Dutt then scored his first goal of the night as he hit a right-footed blast from 12 yards out into the roof of the net. The Generals rolled into halftime with an 8-2 advantage.
The third quarter opened with a long series of possession for the Generals only to have the Rowdies create a counter-attacking situation and turn a Generals blunder into Charlie Howe goal. The Rowdies cut the Generals lead in half and made the score 8-4. The Generals would regain their six-point advantage one minute later as Denny Fulk scored on a volley from a tight angle. Generals forward Cecil Lewis then scored on a breakaway after midfielder Eric Dutt sent a long ball over the Rowdies defense to push the score to 12-4. The Rowdies then scored a goal through forward Rhodiney Vilela to end the third quarter and cut the Generals margin to 12-6.
The fourth quarter of action caused the 625 fans in attendance at the Fredericksburg Field House to become riled up as the final minutes drew near. A quick goal by midfielder Kelvin Jones pushed the Generals further in front 14-6. However, the Rowdies found new life as Vilela and Matt Cooper scored in quick succession to cut the Generals lead to 14-10. Only a few minutes later would the Generals lead be cut to one as defender Robert Harem unleashed a shot from just outside the three point line that found the upper corner and cut the Generals lead to 14-13. The Generals then capitalized on a power play as Eric Dutt scored on a volley from close range to push the lead to 16-13. Another Matt Cooper goal for the Rowdies made it 16-15 with four minutes left. After a serious foul play red card against Richmond, the Generals used the extra man advantage to kill off the game. A series of twenty passes as Richmond tried to press created an easy put away for Kelvin Jones to cap off his hat-trick and put the game out of reach with 30 seconds left.
The 18-15 victory for the Fredericksburg Generals improves their record to 3-0 on the season and drops Richmond to 1-1. The Generals have never lost at home and now take their first place standing into the Christmas break. The Generals return to action on January 6th at 6:00pm on the road at Winchester Impact. The next home game for Fredericksburg is on January 26th at 8:00pm against Winchester. For information on the Fredericksburg Generals, please check out www.fcfred.com.
