April 2, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1)
Richmond Kickers News Release
Richmond Kickers’ Chandler O’Dwyer and Justin Sukow celebrate win
(Richmond Kickers)
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers punched their ticket to the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup Third Round after earning a 5-2 victory, Tuesday night, over NISA side Maryland Bobcats FC thanks to a brace from Dakota Barnathan, and goals from Nil Vinyals, Chandler O’Dwyer, Ryan Sierakowski.
The Kickers got the scoring started early. A cross from O’Dwyer hit a Bobcat defender in the arm in the fifth minute bringing on a penalty kick, taken by Vinyals. The captain sent the ball into the bottom left corner to score his first of the season for the Kickers, right in front of Section O.
O’Dwyer would snag his first of the season as well shortly after Vinyals. Arthur Bosua pressed deep in the Bobcat’s defensive third, forcing an errant pass from centerback Abdul Kooistra to his keeper Trevor Jackson. Jackson took a wide touch as O’Dwyer raced into the penalty area. As the ball bounced across the six-yard box, O’Dwyer beat Jackson to the ball and drilled it into the back of the net.
The Bobcats cut the Kickers’ lead in half in the 24th minute. Off an inswinging corner, the ball dropped to the feet of Kooistra who took a reactionary swing to scoot the ball into the net.
Barnathan and Vinyals combined to give the Kickers its’ two-goal cushion back ahead of the halftime whistle. Vinyals sent a free kick in from about 30 yards out in the second minute of first-half stoppage time. Barnathan met the ball at the top of the six, pushing through several defenders, and sent it past Jackson into the bottom left corner of the net with his head.
Back from the half, the scoring settled for the first 10 minutes. Then, a Kickers’ foul in the top corner of the 18-yard box brought on another penalty kick. The Bobcats’ leading goal-scorer, Darwin Espinal, tried a panenka but clanged it off the crossbar and Griffin Garnett cleared it.
In the 70th minute, Espinal cut the Kickers’ lead to one after sending in a wonderstrike from outside of the box.
In the 82nd minute, a ball through the backline from Nil Vinyals – at the half line himself – allowed Billhardt to take off tearing down the right side. From there, he crossed the ball on the ground to Ryan Sierakowski who sent the ball into the back of the net for his first of the season and the Kickers’ fourth on the night.
In the 88th, Barnathan claimed his brace and the final dagger. Vinyals…