Richmond Kickers 2, One Knoxville SC 2
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 2 | 7′ Terzaghi (Fitch), 75′ Terzaghi (penalty) |
| ONE KNOXVILLE SC | 2 | 69′ Barnathan (Own Goal), 71′ Ilić (Waldeck) |
RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Kickers (5-4-6, 21 pts) split the points with One Knoxville SC (5-4-6, 21 pts), Saturday night in the two sides’ first-ever match-up. Emiliano Terzaghi recorded his 10th league brace to guarantee the point for the Kickers.
Richmond started on the front foot and converted their first scoring chance in the seventh minute when Vinyals picked up a deflected ball and played a perfectly weighted pass out to Simon Fitch. Fitch used his first touch to slide the ball to the feet of Emiliano Terzaghi who cleanly slotted it to the bottom corner of the near post.
The Kickers would nearly double their lead in the 26th minute. Fitch would again find himself in space in Knox’s final third, and the defender lofted a cross to the center of the penalty area to Ryan Sierakowski. The recently-signed forward rose up over his marker and got his head to the ball, flicking it toward the far post. However, the attempt would go just wide and out for a goal kick.
Richmond would finish the first half with their 1-0 lead intact after suppressing a couple of One Knox’s late chances
One Knox found its equalizing goal in the 69th minute when Frank Ross picked up the ball on the top of the box and took a shot. As Richmond’s defense shifted to block Ross’ attempt, the ball took an unfortunate deflection off of Dakota Barnathan’s chest and ricocheted into the net.
Two minutes later, Knoxville’s Dereck Waldeck gathered the ball at midfield and drove down the sideline before playing a cross that found Ilija Ilíc at the top of the box who turned on the ball and fired his attempt into the net.
Richmond would mount its comeback shortly after in its own flurry of offensive pressure.
In the 74th minute, the Kickers were on the break. Vinyals chipped a ball toward the far post to Sierakowski who headed the ball back to the center to a waiting Terzaghi. One Knox’s Jordan Skelton planted both arms into Terzaghi’s back, bringing down the reigning MVP in the penalty area, and the official quickly pointed to the spot.
Terzaghi confidently sent the keeper the other way as he blasted his attempt into the top right corner of the goal for the equalizer.
The Kickers pushed for the gamewinner late as second-half substitute Owayne Gordon gave the right side of One Knox’s defense fits. In the 89th minute, the forward picked the pocket of Kyle McDowell near the Kickers’ penalty area, and, seeing open space, raced up the wing and nutmegged Angelo Kelly-Rosales before leaving the player stumbling to the ground after a failed attempt at fouling Gordon. He carried the ball to the backline looking for a cross to Terzaghi in the box and forced a corner.
Richmond finishes its current homestand next Saturday, July 1 when they kick off Fourth of July weekend in RVA with a fireworks display at City Stadium following their match against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. kickoff.
For just a yearly subscription of $35, fans unlock up to 50% off their tickets, 15% savings on Kickers’ swag, and more with a Kickers+ Membership! This steal of a deal pays for itself after your first four (4) purchased tickets. Become a member and start saving today! Additional information can be found at richmondkickers.com/kickersplus.
Stay up to date with all of the Kickers news at RichmondKickers.com and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Download the Richmond Kickers mobile app for news, contests, and more!
