Forward Madison 2, Richmond Kickers 0
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 0 | |
| FORWARD MADISON | 2 | 3′ Gebhard (Bartman), 46′ Mesias (Gebhard) |
MADISON, Wis. — The Richmond Kickers (6-12-10, 28 pts) fell on the road 2-0, Thursday night, to rivals Forward Madison FC (11-8-8, 41 pts).
The Kickers opened the match with the ball, maintaining a majority of the first half possession. Just a minute into the match Nil Vinyals sent in a free kick, looking for Nathan Aune but just missing the connection.
In the third minute, Nazeem Bartman forced a turnover in the Kickers’ penalty area and played a cross to Derek Gebhard who knocked the ball in.
Although down early, the Kickers controlled possession throughout the early part of the match.
In the 27th minute, Vinyals dribbled to the top of the box before taking a shot just wide of the far post. He took another attempt in the 30th, spinning past several Madison defenders before a last second save from the Flamingos goalkeeper, Bernd Schipmann.
In the 39th minute, Madison took possession but Cole and Hornsby held the left flank forcing the Flamingo attack to swing the ball around and send a long ball over the top of Fitzgerald’s goal.
After a Kickers corner attempt was sent back out to Hornsby in the 42nd, he sent another ball in from the top right corner of the box to the head of Cole. Despite the clean service, Schipmann was able to make the save.
The first half ended with the Kickers playing often in Madison’s half while placing three of their five shots on target.
The hosts doubled their lead shortly after the whistle signaling the start of the half. Madison’s Aiden Mecias slotted a goal in the bottom corner after a quick passing succession brought the Flamingos upfield.
The Kickers pushed to find the back of the net, ceding possession to Madison as the Kickers looked to break on the counter.
In the 70th minute, Vinyals sent in a cross to Sierakowski outside the far post who ripped the ball back towards the net but as Matthew Bentley tried to tap it in, Schipmann denied the attempt on the goalline.
In the 85th minute Madison made one more attempt at a goal but Fitzgerald made a stellar save and sent Richmond pushing the other way.
With eight minutes of second-half stoppage, the Kickers made their last attempts to change the result. In the 97th minute, Sierakowski hit a shot from the top left corner of the box but it slid just wide of the near post.
The Kickers return home for their next match on Saturday, Sept. 23rd to host Greenville Triumph SC on Noche de la Herencia Hispana presented by the Virginia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The doors at City Stadium are set to open at 4:45 p.m. ahead of the 6 p.m. kickoff. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
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