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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Hammerheads chasing playoffs in final season

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By Elly Colwell

Intern

In the team’s 20th, and possibly last, season in Wilmington, Hammerheads soccer players are fighting to make it one to remember for their fans as they battle for a playoff spot.

The team lost its footing Sunday night when it dropped a key home match to Cincinnati, falling 2-0. With two games left in the season, the Hammerheads will need wins in both to earn the eighth and final spot in the United Soccer League playoffs, coach Mark Briggs said.

The loss disrupts a turnaround that started Sept. 7 when the Hammerheads won a home match against Orlando 3-0, ending a 10-week streak when the team failed to win a single game. Briggs said the win revived the team.

“We destroyed them, and our confidence is back to where it was at the start of the season,” he said.

But things are much different for the Hammerheads than when the season started in March. Earlier in the season, in the middle of the winless streak, the team received news that it would not play in the league next year, making it questionable whether the team would return to play in Wilmington in the following years.

Longtime owner and Wilmington resident Bill Rudisill sold the team to George Altirs in 2013, and since then, the local investment has decreased. Altirs, who lives in New Jersey, has been unable to rally the same level of support. Briggs said home games at Legion Stadium once brought in between 4,000-5,000 fans while they currently draw about 2,000 spectators for each game.

“They are trying to take the franchise to a bigger market,” Briggs said. “It’s disappointing, I feel like the professional team could stay here. The right person could do wonders with this team.” As the team competes for the final playoff seat this month, they are trying to keep their heads clear of the unwinding drama.

“For us players, nothing changes. We need to go out and perform. It’s the same out there on the pitch,” said first-year midfielder Liam Miller, one of the team captains.

Briggs said if the Hammerheads were able to win their final two games, they would have a good chance of securing their seat in the playoffs. With the loss to Cincinnati, this leaves the team with a chance for the seat, but little room for error. The Hammerheads will travel to Pennsylvania on Saturday, Sept. 17 to face the Harrisburg City Islanders and conclude their season hosting the Richmond Kickers at Legion Stadium on Sept. 24 at 7 p.m.

The Hammerheads began trying to revamp the team this season as they came off of one of their worst years in 2015. Briggs began his first year as head coach this season, and the team started with almost an entirely new roster of players. Four members of the 2015 team were re-signed for 2016, resulting in 18 new players.

Despite seeing so much change, both Briggs and Miller agreed the team works well together.

“It’s a really close-knit squad even though we’ve had our ups and downs,” Miller said.

The Hammerheads have also seen strong support this season from their fan base, Port City Firm.  The group has been a source of pride for the team and something that visiting teams comment on when they come to Legion Stadium. For a city with a comparatively small fan base and stadium, Port City Firm does an impressive job of creating a scene and cheering on the players, Briggs said.

It’s one of the reasons Briggs said he is sad to see the team leave Wilmington. The fan base is so dedicated that he said it will be a shame to leave them.

“They’re always singing songs and blowing smoke,” Briggs said. “They’re awesome.”

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