August 26, 2024 – United Soccer League One (USL1)
Union Omaha News Release
Papillion, Nebr. – The Owls came screeching back from their miniature summer break with a well-fought victory over Richmond Kickers.
Astonishingly, this is the first time this year in league play Union Omaha has scored three goals on the dot, after putting up more than that on six occasions in 2024.
Head Coach Dominic Casciato first gave a shout-out to the fans for their part in blitzing Richmond and hanging on from there. “Really pleased to get a win in front of our crowd. Great to see so many fans out there tonight; it really gives the lads a boost. I thought in the first half especially, we played some really good stuff, and could have been one or two more goals ahead.”
It was only the first minute when Richmond was first put to the sword. A misplayed back-pass by goalkeeper Ryan Shellow ceded a corner kick that saw Steevan Dos Santos thump a free header on goal. Shellow managed to tip it over the bar, but the genesis of that chance was foreshadowing in its most immediate form.
In the 4th minute, Richmond were attempting again to play out of the back. Brandon Knapp, who was shading midfielder Justin Sukow, was already charging forward to pressure Shellow. His energy paid off in spades, as he was right there to stab home his first professional goal when the goalkeeper slipped as he backpedaled to receive another back-pass.
Talking about the aggression off the ball that led to the opener, Knapp said, “I feel a big part of my game is just having a lot of energy, being able to work well with the guys up front in the press, and just running around a lot putting pressure on guys. I felt that was a great opportunity to step up when the ball was played to the goalie, and that’s what I did.”
A starting lineup that saw Charlie Ostrem and Zeiko Lewis as a brand-new left wing pairing kept that energy up, though it was a spark from the other flank that doubled their advantage. Dion Acoff cut inside in the 17th minute with plenty of space to pick out Joe Gallardo jolting forward in a run on goal. Sukow made an executive decision to drag him down from behind, earning a yellow and giving up a spot kick that Gallardo duly converted.
Richmond did their best to claw their way back into the match from here, but Omaha held firm even as they began to see less of the ball. Paradoxically for a team that tends to want to play on the front foot, the Owls are now 7-1-0 when they possess the ball…