August 29, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – Union Omaha News Release
RICHMOND, Va. – A frustrating night for the Owls ended in a 3-0 loss at Richmond Kickers Saturday night.
It was a high-stakes match-up between two top title contenders, the 2nd and 3rd place teams in the standings, with potential playoff-hosting implications down the line later in the season. The Owls were coming off a successful 7-point week at home, notching wins against Charlotte Independence and North Carolina FC, whilst the Kickers had to settle for a draw last week against Central Valley Fuego FC.
Reigning USL League One Player of the Week Noe Meza got his first scoring opportunity in the 4th minute, the striking duo of Meza and Corey Hertzog working early. Hertzog attempted a volley at the top of the box, blocked away by a black jersey, with the deflection falling right to Meza who sent it just wide of the net.
The Omaha offense was still working hard early, with Meza almost scoring his 5th goal in four games in the 12th minute. The team’s leading goal scorer, being dished to by Joe Brito, maneuvered his way around a pair of defenders and putting a quality shot on target, which was just batted away by Akira Fitzgerald.
The first score came in the 20th minute. Rashid Nuhu made the initial save for the Owls, denying Ethan Bryant from midrange, but couldn’t stop Jonathan Bolanos from putting it in the net on the second effort. While Kickers were up 1-0, there was still plenty of time for the Owls to find an answer.
Ryen Jiba went on to make a crucial block against Bolanos minutes later, saving another potential goal from the 24-year-old early. The Owls were able to stop the bleeding enough to only go into the half only down one, a very manageable deficit for the side that had started to find its offensive rhythm as of late.
Nuhu prevented some more damage in the 64th minute, coming up clutch with the one-on-one save to deny former Owl Ethan Vanacore-Decker after he found his way through the back line.
Each team earned a couple of cautions after the hour mark, with Vanacore-Decker and Jiba both being written into the book.
Omaha let in another in the 70th minute with Emiliano Terzaghi, the league’s Golden Boot leader, providing the close-up finisher for the Kickers. The tough breaks continued, with Conor Doyle and Meza each earning yellow cards shortly after.
Meza had another chance in the 75th, when Jiba found him again in the middle of the box for a tough strike, but his rip…