Richmond Kickers 1, South Georgia Tormenta FC 3
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 1 | 90 +2′ Kilwien (Own Goal) |
| SOUTH GEORGIA TORMENTA FC | 3 | 4’ Doyle, 54′ Watson, 90 + 4′ Tunbridge |
RICHMOND, Va. — The Richmond Kickers fell to South Georgia Tormenta FC, 3-1, Saturday night, in the regular season home opener. City Stadium welcomed a crowd of 4,523 fans for the first USL League One game of 2024.
Tormenta opened the scoring in the fourth minute when a Kickers’ clearance fell to the feet of Connor Doyle who hit a low-scoring chance shot cleanly that found the back of the net.
In the 14th minute, the Kickers created two big opportunities, the first a strike from Nil Vinyals inside the box that Tormenta keeper Ford Parker saved at the last second to force a corner kick. Off the corner in the same minute, Ryan Sierakowski got his head to the ball that headed straight for the net but again, Parker found his way into the path of the ball at the last second.
At the start of first-half stoppage time, Jara came off his line to shut down an attempt from South Georgia’s Tavio D’Almeida that was defended well by Griffin Garnett. Jara’s save started a push moving the other way that ultimately resulted in a corner kick attempt. When the ball was sent in from the corner, Dakota Barnathan flicked the ball on but it bounced just out of reach of Sierakowski.
Tormenta found a second goal in the 54th minute as the Kickers pushed to find their own equalizer. Niall Watson was able to break free on the counter and slot in the goal as Jara came off his line to stifle the one-on-one.
The Kickers were able to create several big chances in the second half. In the 59th minute, a free kick from Nil Vinyals found the top of Arthur Bosua’s head but Parker got a lucky bounce and stepped in the way of that strike as well. Again in the 80th, Bosua sent the ball on goal off a ball from Vinyals but Parker managed to get up in time.
In the second minute of second-half stoppage time, James Vaughan sent in a dangerous ball into the Tormenta box intended for Gabe Cox but forced an own goal from defender Preston Kilwien instead to put the Kickers within one.
However, as the Kickers pressed for a late equalizer, Tormenta’s Mason Tunbrige capitalized on a turnover and found the visitors’ insurance goal.
The Kickers are set to host again on Tuesday, April 2 for the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Second Round against Maryland Bobcats. The Roos will remain at home on Saturday, April 6 when they take on Central Valley Fuego FC at 6 p.m. Join us for “Pups at the Pitch Night” presented by Impawsible Pups! Tickets for both matches 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 at richmondkickers.com/seasontickets.
Stay up to date with all of the Kickers news at RichmondKickers.com and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
