Richmond Kickers 5, Maryland Bobcats 2
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 5 | 6′ Vinyals, 20′ O’Dwyer, 45+2′ Barnathan, 83′ Sierakowski, 88′ Barnathan |
| MARYLAND BOBCATS | 2 | 24′ Kooistra, 70′ Espinal |
RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Kickers punched their ticket to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Third Round after earning a 5-2 victory, Tuesday night, over NISA side Maryland Bobcats FC thanks to a brace from Dakota Barnathan, and goals from Nil Vinyals, Chandler O’Dwyer, Ryan Sierakowski.
The Kickers got the scoring started early. A cross from Chandler O’Dwyer hit a Bobcat defender in the arm in the fifth minute bringing on a penalty kick, taken by Nil Vinyals. The captain sent the ball into the bottom left corner to score his first of the season for the Kickers, right in front of Section O.
O’Dwyer would snag his first of the season as well shortly after Vinyals. Arthur Bosua pressed deep in the Bobcat’s defensive third, forcing an errant pass from centerback Abdul Kooistra to his keeper Trevor Jackson. Jackson took a wide touch as O’Dwyer raced into the penalty area. As the ball bounced across the six-yard box, O’Dwyer beat Jackson to the ball and drilled it into the back of the net.
The Bobcats cut the Kickers’ lead in half in the 24th minute. Off an inswinging corner, the ball dropped to the feet of Kooistra who took a reactionary swing to scoot the ball into the net.
Barnathan and Vinyals combined to give the Kickers its’ two-goal cushion back ahead of the halftime whistle. Vinyals sent a free kick in from about 30 yards out in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Barnathan met the ball at the top of the six, pushing through several defenders, and sent it past Jackson into the bottom left corner of the net with his head.
Back from the half, the scoring settled for the first 10 minutes. Then, a Kickers’ foul in the top corner of the 18-yard box brought on another penalty kick. The Bobcats’ leading goal-scorer, Darwin Espinal, tried a panenka but clanged it off the crossbar and Griffin Garnett cleared it.
In the 70th minute, Espinal cut the Kickers’ lead to one after sending in a wonderstrike from outside of the box.
In the 82nd minute, a ball through the backline from Nil Vinyals — at the half line himself — allowed Billhardt to take off tearing down the right side. From there, he crossed the ball on the ground to Ryan Sierakowski who sent the ball into the back of the net for his first of the season and the Kickers’ fourth on the night.
In the 88th, Barnathan claimed his brace and the final dagger. Vinyals sent a corner in and the ball bounced around before Garnett and a Bobcats’ defender got to the ball at the same time. The ball then popped up to Barnathan who hit it on the volley and sliced it between the keeper and the near post.
After seven minutes of stoppage time, the final whistle blew and the team applauded the fans in the stands. The 5-2 scoreline marked the first time the Kickers scored five goals or more in a match since the second round of the 2019 Open Cup against Virginia United.
Richmond will find out their next opponent on Thursday, April 4 at 1 p.m. following US Soccer’s Third Round draw that will see second division USL Championship clubs enter the fold.
The Kickers are set to host their next USL League One regular season match on Saturday, April 6 when they host Central Valley Fuego FC. Kickoff for the match against the Fuego is set for 6 p.m. It will also be Pups at the Pitch Night presented by Impawsible Pups! Bring your pups to the pitch and enjoy the match from our special dog section, section 114. Tickets for that match are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
Season Tickets are still available for the 2024 season! Fans can unlock massive savings, access to exclusive events, a complimentary CityStadium+ Membership and so much more. Be a part of every out-of-your-seat experience in 2024 with Season Tickets! Additional information can be found richmondkickers.com/seasontickets.
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