Greenville Triumph SC 2, Richmond Kickers 2
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 2 | 59′ Aune (Belmar), 82′ Pavone |
| GREENVILLE TRIUMPH | 2 | 3′ Coutinho, 27′ Fricke (Polak) |
GREENVILLE, S.C. —The Richmond Kickers (2-1-4, 10 pts) scored two unanswered goals in the second half to complete a 2-2 comeback draw against rivals Greenville Triumph SC (3-4-1, 10 pts) to keep their road unbeaten streak alive.
Nathan Aune opened the Kickers’ scoring with his second of the season before Luke Pavone scored his first-ever goal for the Kickers to complete the comeback late.
After entering the dressing room at half trailing 2-0, the Kickers pushed to halve Greenville’s lead out of the gate in the second half and found their first goal of the night in the 59th minute.
Aune progressed the ball into Greenville’s half before laying the ball off to Justin Sukow and continuing to run forward. As Sukow received the ball, Kharlton Belmar drifted wide and split his defenders to receive a through ball from Sukow. Belmar gathered the ball and crossed it back toward Aune who charged into the box and blasted a shot into the top netting.
The equalizer came in the final 10 minutes of regulation.
Sukow circulated the ball in Greenville’s area and found Owayne Gordon on the left wing. Gordon took on his man and dribbled into the penalty area before playing a low cross toward the six-yard box. Matthew Bentley who received the cross from a difficult angle, backheeled the ball which beat the keeper but hit the inside of the far post and ricocheted back into play. Pavone who made a trailing run into the box pounced on the loose ball and put it into the net.
The comeback followed up a difficult first half in which the hosts were able to take advantage of calls or a lack there of while Richmond was unlucky not to have several decisions go their way.
Greenville opened the scoring in the third minute. After recovering the ball at midfield a minute prior, they were able to draw a soft foul just outside of Richmond’s penalty area. Greenville’s Lucas Coutinho, who currently sits tied for second in goals scored in the league, took the shot and snuck the ball inside of the far post and into the goal.
Richmond was hard done not to earn a penalty kick in the 15th minute.
Belmar played a cross into the box and Greenville’s Noah Pilato shanked an attempted clearance that rolled back toward goal. Emiliano Terzaghi pounced toward the ball as Greenville’s Evan Lee kicked the forward in the legs and brought him down. However, it was determined that play continue as Terzaghi gathered himself off the ground.
Greenville doubled their lead in the 27th minute from a corner kick. Greenville’s Tyler Polak played a cross into the box that Akira Fitzgerald came off his line to catch in the air. As Fitzgerald moved to the ball, Greenville’s Tevin Shaw jumped through the back of Aune and got away with a foul on the defender near the approaching ball which disrupted Fitzgerald’s ability to cleanly catch the cross. Brandon Fricke was able to get on the end of the cross and placed it in for a goal.
Terzaghi got the ball into the back of the net in the fifth minute of first-half stoppage time, but he was ruled offside on the play. The whistle signaling the end of the half blew shortly after.
Richmond did well to close up shop in the second 45 as they suppressed the Greenville attack. The hosts were limited to only three shots in the second half with zero on target and only one shot taken in the box.
Meanwhile, the Kickers dominated possession, holding the ball nearly 63 percent of the time, and had 42 final third entries to Greenville’s 34 while getting more touches in the opponent’s box.
The Kickers continue their road trip down south when they face first-place North Carolina FC (5-2-1, 16 pts) in Cary, N.C. on Wednesday, May 17th. The Kickers will host an official watch party at Home Team Grill. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
The Kickers then return home to host league debutants Lexington SC on Saturday, May 20th during First Responders Night presented by Bon Secours. Doors are set to open at 5:45 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. kickoff. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
For a cost as low as $10 per match, Kickers fans can save the most with Season Tickets while unlocking exclusive perks and experiences. With one additional regular season match and two new opponents joining USL League One in 2023, City Stadium will be the place to be! Additional information can be found at richmondkickers.com/seasontickets.
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