Forward Madison FC 2, Richmond Kickers 2
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 2 | 45+7′ Schenfeld (Moran), 64′ Billhardt (Bosua) |
| FORWARD MADISON FC | 2 | 28′ Gebhard (Boyce), 72′ Davila (Prentice) |
MADISON, Wis. — The Richmond Kickers (1-2-1, 4 pts) earned a 2-2 draw at rivals Forward Madison (1-0-3, 6 pts) in the first leg of the Henny Derby, Saturday night.
Maxi Schenfeld and Adrian Billhardt netted goals in either half to secure the point for the Kickers and extend the club’s unbeaten streak to three matches in all competitions.
The 14th edition of The Henny Derby kicked off with the Kickers dictating the tempo of the game and probing for an early breakthrough.
However, off a throw-in in the 27th minute, Forward Madison found the first goal of the night. Michael Chilaka found Devin Boyce’s head who sent the ball to the feet of Derek Gebhard. Gebhard dribbled across the top of the box and around in towards the six where he cut the ball back towards the far post and into the side netting.
Richmond found its equalizer in the dying moments of the first half after four minutes of stoppage time were significantly lengthened following an injury.
In the seventh minute of first-half stoppage time, the Kickers kept the ball in Madison’s penalty area despite repeated attempts at clearing the ball. Finally, a ball from Zaca Moran popped up to Schenfeld who had his back to goal and controlled the ball with three juggles before turning on the ball and lashing a bicycle kick into the net.
Adrian Billhardt gave the Kickers a lead in the 64th minute as the visitors struck in transition. Arthur Bosua flicked a pass at midfield up the right wing as Billhardt raced onto the ball. The winger shed his marker despite the defender’s attempt to commit a tactical foul. Dribbling the ball to the edge of the penalty area, Billhardt laced a left-footed strike that beat the keeper.
Richmond started to tighten the screws in possession, but Madison’s Austin Davila who subbed into the match found the hosts’ equalizer in the 71st minute from a header in the penalty area.
In the 84th minute, Forward Madison’s Timmy Mehl received a second yellow card and Madison went down to 10 men after Mehl drove his shoulder into the back of Schenfeld on a 50-50 ball.
Another eight minutes were added to the second half in stoppage, and Nil Vinyals and Ryan Sierakowski both nearly found go-ahead strikes, but the scoreline held until the final whistle.
The Kickers and Madison will face off in the final leg of their rivalry at City Stadium on Wednesday, July 3. The match will be broadcast on CBS Sports Network, marking the Kickers’ first nationally televised match since the 2018 season.
Richmond will return home to host USL Championship side Loudoun United FC this Wednesday, April 17 in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Third Round. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
Season Tickets are now 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.
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