Lexington SC 1, Richmond Kickers 0
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 0 | |
| LEXINGTON SC | 1 | 83′ Diouf (penalty) |
GEORGETOWN, Ky. — The Richmond Kickers (6-10-9, 27 pts) fell on the road 1-0, Saturday night, to Lexington SC (7-11-6, 27 pts).
Stormy conditions in the area delayed the match for roughly 55 minutes, and the two teams continued to play in steady rain for much of the first half.
The Kickers controlled the first half, allowing the hosts to hold the majority of possession while suppressing any chances to score while breaking on the counterattack.
In the 28th minute, Matthew Bentley and Landon Johnson combined for the best chance of the half. On the break, Bentley raced up the left third of the pitch and played a diagonal ball that found Johnson in stride. The 16-year-old put his right foot through the ball and lasered it on target forcing a save from the Lexington keeper.
The first half ended with the Kickers owning the expected goals (0.83-0.21) while holding the hosts to zero shots on target.
Richmond nearly found the breakthrough in the 67th minute after second-half substitute Kharlton Belmar carried the ball up the right wing to the endline. The forward cut the ball back toward the top of the box and found Nil Vinyals who ran onto the ball and one-timed a shot. However, the midfielder’s attempt had too much power and went just over the crossbar.
Will Palmquist was called into action to make his first save of the night in the 74th minute after Lexington’s Charles Machall found space in transition. The Lexington player hit a shot from outside of the box that was on track to make it just under the crossbar. Palmquist timed his leap perfectly and used his right hand to deflect the ball away from danger.
Lexington earned a penalty in the 81st minute after Ates Diouf was carrying the ball into the box. Dakota Barnathan, who was on a yellow card received in the first half, kicked his leg out to stab at the ball but caught Diouf which sent the forward to the ground. The referee signaled the penalty – only Richmond’s third conceded penalty of the season – and gave Barnathan a second yellow, ending his night.
Diouf converted the penalty to give the hosts the lead.
Richmond nearly found an equalizer in the waning seconds of the fifth and final minute of second-half stoppage. Belmar delivered an inswinging ball from the left wing to the far post. Chandler O’Dwyer rose above his marker and headed the ball on target, but the Lexington keeper was able to make the point-blank save and the referee signaled the end of the match shortly after.
The Roos return home on Wednesday, August 30th to host Central Valley Fuego FC on RVA Community Night presented by Broadbent Selections. The doors at City Stadium are set to open at 5:45 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. kickoff. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
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