August 24, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1)
Richmond Kickers News Release
Richmond Kickers battle Union Omaha
(Richmond Kickers)
PAPILLION, Neb. – The Richmond Kickers (3-9-4, 13 pts) fell on the road to second-place Union Omaha (8-3-2, 26 pts), Saturday night.
Omaha would go on the attack early, earning a corner but Ryan Shellow would stand up the speedy header that took a quick bounce and redirected.
The hosts found the opener in the fourth minute when Brandon Knapp capitalized on a turnover in the Kickers’ penalty area.
In the 16th minute, the Kickers went the other way. Adrian Billhardt shook his defender, moved to the top corner of the box, put the ball on his strong foot and struck but the shot slid just wide of the net.
A yellow card in the box against Justin Sukow gave Omaha a penalty kick in the 19th minute. Shellow guessed correctly to the right but the ball snuck just past him to put the Owls up two.
In the 20th minute, the Kickers moved to answer. Billhardt drove the length of the pitch and laid it off in the box to Simon Fitch. Fitch took a shot that got deflected to earn a corner. The ball in from Billhardt was well-placed but ultimately earned another corner. On the second, Omaha cleared the ball and it fell to the feet of Sukow whose shot went just over the top of the net.
In the 37th minute, Ryan Shellow came up with a big save to keep the lead at two. Omaha attacked on the counter and the save from Shellow rebounded to their feet again before a well-timed tackle from Zaca Moran prevented the follow up from breaking through.
A beautiful low free kick from Vinyals in the 54th flew at keeper Rashid Nuhu but he made the save just in time. The Kickers saw several opportunities in the ensuing six minutes but the scoreline remained unchanged.
Billhardt placed a beautiful ball in the box off the corner in the 67th minute. The Kickers got Nuhu out of position and took a shot on goal but the Union defenders cleared it off the line at the very last second.
Omaha would score once more late in the match but the Kickers would not let up, continuing to win fouls and force opportunities through the final whistle.
The Kickers will return to City Stadium on Thursday, August 29 to host Spokane Velocity in Round 8 of the USL Jägermeister Cup. The theme of the match will be a Night at the Museums, featuring different exhibits from museums across the city. Kickoff for the match is set for 7:00 p.m.
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