Mt. Vernon, N.Y., May 22, 2025--Westchester SC returns to USL League One play this Sunday with their third of six home matches in May and June, taking on Richmond Kickers at 4 pm at The Stadium at Memorial Field. The club is coming off a dramatic 1-1 draw vs. Forward Madison last Saturday. Media are welcomed at any and all WSC home matches.
J.C. Obregón (New York, NY) electrified the home crowd with a stunning long-range goal in the 17th minute, launching a strike from ~70 yards out, before Derek Gebhard converted a penalty in the 4Oth minute, the only scores in a 1-1 draw against Forward Madison FC. The second half continued with the same pace and pressure, and in the 67th minute, Forward Madison was awarded a second penalty. This time, however, Westchester goalkeeper Andrew Hammersley, in only his second pro start, rose to the occasion, making a critical save to deny the go-ahead goal and preserve the 1-1 draw through the final whistle. It marked WSC’s first home point in USL League One play.
Richmond, WSC Meet Again Following One of The USL League One Early Season Highlight Matches; Richmond’s Josh Kirkland scored the final equalizer (and his second goal of the game) in the ninth minute of extra time on April19th, snatching a frenetic late rush victory from WSC and sending both clubs home with a 4-4 draw for third place Richmond. The Erickland score came just two minutes after WSC’s scoring leader J.C. Obregón Jr. (New York, NY) found the back of the net on a penalty kick after Bobby Pierre was fouled, to give Westchester their first lead of the match seven minutes into extra time in what was a back and forth affair for more than ninety minutes. Richmond struck early, with Darwin Espinal beating keeper Dane Jacomen just two minutes into the match before WSC counter on a Noah Powder (Edison, NJ) score just six minutes later. Espinal’s second goal of the match in the 32nd minute gave Richmond the 2-1 lead at the break, before Samory Powder (Edison, NJ) again knotted the match at 2-2 in the 53rd minute. Richmond’s Kirkland’s tally in the 63rd minute again put Kickers back on top, but with less than seven minutes left in regulation Conor McGlynn (Middle Village, NY) countered off a pass from Noah Powder to knot the score at three, and set the stage for the drama in extra time. The stats belied the excitement the fans experienced on a beautiful night in Richmond, with each side taking 16 shots and WSC getting the slight edge on goal 8-7.
Putting Up The Numbers; Richmond and WSC enter Sunday’s match second-16 goals and third-15 goals, respectively in USL League One Play thus far this season.
Stopping the Slide: WSC enters Sunday looking to stop a seven match overall winless slide. They have not posted a match win since their victory over NY Pancyprian Freedoms 3-2 on April 2 in the US Open Cup, and have not won a USL League One match since their 3-1 win at Texoma FC on March 29. WSC has actually grabbed the lead in the first half of their last three matches, leading 1-0 at Spokane, 2-0 at home against Charlotte and 1-0 vs. Forward Madison.
If it’s a WSC Match, JC is on the Board: Forward Juan Carlos Obregón, Jr. has been the scoring leader for WSC, not just in their USL matches but in their US Open Cup matches as well. Obregon’s seven overall goals easily tops the team in all games played. The 2024 USL League One All-League First Team forward scored his seventh goal last Saturday, and he now has four USL League One tallies one more than teammate Connor McGlynn. Obregón leads the club in assists with two as well.
Hammer Time Arrives; Goalkeeper Andrew Hammersley (Garden City, NY) was inserted into the lineup by Head Coach Dave Carton prior to the May tenth match vs. Charlotte, and played well in his first pro match despite allowing three second half scores. The Sacred Heart University product followed that up with a solid performance again last Saturday, allowing the one score, but coming up with a game-saving second half stop of a penalty kick to keep the tight match tied. Hammersley has recorded ten saves in his first two matches, the best two match stretch for a keeper in WSC’s inaugural season. He was selected to the USL League One Team of the Week for his efforts.
Homegrown Scorers: In USL play, New York area natives Obregón (New York, NY) McGlynn (Middle Village, NY) , Samory Powder and Noah Powder (Edison, NJ) have accounted for ten of the club’s 12 goals thus far, giving the back of the net a decided NY area edge so far. WSC’s current roster features eight players who can call the greater New York area home. In addition, defender Kemar “Taxi” Lawrence has logged time in his career as a popular member of the New York Red Bulls. Defender Noah Powder and his brother Samory Powder have also logged time in the Red Bulls development system.
Brotherly Success, The Powder’s Pour it On: The Powder brothers, Samory and Noah (Edison, NJ), are just the fifth pair of brothers to suit up as teammates in a League One match, and the first pair of brothers to be named to the USL League One Team of the Week as teammates in the same week. Midfielder Noah Powder was named Player of the Week presented by Konami eFootball with three goal contributions in a 4-4 draw against the Richmond Kickers on April 19 . Noah Powder's assist on Samory Powder's goal in the 53rd minute marked the second time in league history a pair of brothers have connected for a joint goal participation (Arturo/David Rodriguez (NTX), 2019). Then we have Samory Powder, the first-year professional registered a beauty of a first professional goal off an assist from his older brother, Noah at Richmond, and followed that up with his second goal, the club’s only tally, at Spokane.
Obregón, Powder Get Gold Cup Call; Twenty-three players from the USL Championship and League One were named on Monday to the preliminary rosters for the 2025 Concacaf Gold Cup. Included among the group are WSC’S Juan Carlos Obregón, Jr., for Honduras and Noah Powder for Trinidad and Tobago. The final rosters for the tournament must be named by June 4 ahead of the competition’s opening game on Saturday, June 14 between Mexico and the Dominican Republic. Portland was the only other USL League One club with multiple players named.
On The Team Side: WSC enters the weekend 4th in scoring in USL League One with 12 goals, tied for 4th in conversion rate (1 8 %) and 5th in shots at 88.
WSC’s inaugural season partners in addition to Northwell Health and SCORE PT include; Leros Transportation Group - luxury transportation partner, Healthfirst - insurance partner, Manhattanville University - premier education partner, Pepsi Bottling Company of New York - beverage partner, RXR - luxury living/real estate partner, MSG Networks - broadcast partner, Breezemont Day Camp - summer day camp partner, Seatgeek - ticketing partner, and Benjamin's Steak House - steak house partner.
On The Air: All of WSC’s USL League One matchups will be seen locally on MSG Networks, with Sam Goldfarb calling the action for most home matches.
Up Next: WSC will host their second Jägermeister Cup match, this one against Hartford Athletic on May 31 at 4 pm, before returning to USL League One play on June 7 against One Knoxville SC in their first home regular season night match of the season
