Charlotte Independence 0, Richmond Kickers 1
| RICHMOND KICKERS | 1 | 75’ Gomeiro (O’Dwyer) |
| CHARLOTTE INDEPENDENCE | 0 |
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — The Richmond Kickers (4-9-4, 16 pts) took down second-place Charlotte Independence (8-3-6, 29 pts), 1-0, Saturday night, moving within two points of the final playoff spot. 18-year-old James Sneddon earned his first clean sheet in his second-ever start.
The pair that opened the scoring two weeks ago against Spokane Velocity would open it again tonight, this time in the 75th rather than the 6th. Chandler O’Dwyer pressed the Charlotte defense deep in their penalty area and poked the ball to João Gomiero. The midfielder dribbled around Charlotte’s goalkeeper and tapped in the eventual gamewinner.
Gomeiro raced to the left corner to celebrate his first of the year with the traveling members of the Red Army who mobbed the guardrail.
The Kickers and the Independence would vie for control in between the penalty areas for the first ten minutes before Charlotte would get a shot on frame. Sneddon, making his second-straight start for the Kickers, was ready for the strike from the top of the box and stopped the ball with his legs before corralling it for his first save of the night.
Sneddon made another stellar save in the 22nd minute, deflecting a shot from outside of the box well wide and keeping the Independence out of the back of the net.
Gomeiro earned a foul just outside the top of the box and sent the direct kick straight on for the bottom right corner but Charlotte’s Austin Pack stepped in the way at the last second.
In the 37th, Gomeiro would find another top-of-the-box opportunity. Starting the push off a pass from Adrian Billhardt, Gomeiro sent a diagonal ball to Ryan Sierakowski who dribbled into the middle before dropping it off to Gomeiro again. This time, his strike flew towards the far post but Pack got a hand to it again.
Charlotte’s Luis Alvarez tried to break away in transition after a Richmond free kick but Zaca Moran cornered him and got stuck in to make the tackle and stop the attack dead in its tracks, sending the ball the other way where Chandler O’Dwyer won a duel and earned a foul.
Billhardt earned a free kick in the attacking third, just wide right of the box. Taking it himself, he sent the ball in, onto the head of Gui Franca but the header went just over the goal.
Following Gomiero’s goal in the 75th minute, the Kickers subbed on midfielder Nil Vinyals and forward Emiliano Terzaghi and Toni Pineda to keep the Charlotte defense honest with a fresh press.
The Kickers’ backline would hold fast through the rest of the half and more than seven minutes of stoppage time. Sneddon would make one more save in stoppage as the Kickers stifled any chance for Charlotte to threaten the Kickers’ clean sheet.
The Roos return home on Saturday, Sept. 21 to host Lexington SC during Fiesta de Herencia Hispana presented by the Virginia Hispanic Chamber. Kickoff for that match is set for 6 p.m. Stay up to date with all of the Kickers news at RichmondKickers.com and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.
