RICHMOND, VA – The Richmond Kickers suffered a 2-0 loss to the Charleston Battery at City Stadium in front of a record regular season crowd of 5,957 Saturday night.
RICHMOND, VA – The Richmond Kickers suffered a 2-0 loss to the Charleston Battery at City Stadium in front of a record regular season crowd of 5,957 Saturday night. In a match marred by missed chances, the Kickers outshot their longtime rivals 13-5 but could not recover from a pair of first half goals when Justin Portillo converted a penalty and Zach Prince quickly added a second just past the half hour mark.
Less than 10 minutes into the match, the Kickers nearly broke the ice when defender Sascha Goerres slotted a ball through to Yudai Imura. His shot was blocked by defenders but forward Jason Yeisley recovered it and laid it off to Collin Martin who one-timed it back to Imura. The Kickers midfielder raced to the top of the box and beat Battery goalkeeper Odisnel Cooper with a low shot to the right post but the effort glanced inches wide.
Then, the Kickers earned a free kick at the right edge of the box, deep on the right wing. Goerres curled an inswinging cross into the box, meeting Yeisley in the air six yards out but Cooper leapt to the far post to snatch it from midair.
The Battery claimed the advantage that they held throughout the match when defender Taylor Mueller intercepted the ball and launched it to midfield. A poor clearance fell to Prince who played Ricky Garbanzo in behind the defense but his blasted shot soared over the crossbar. The Battery quickly regained possession and earned a corner kick. Portillo floated the ball over the swarming box to the back post where Shawn Ferguson attempted a shot only to be denied by Kickers defender William Yomby. The ball skimmed back through the crowd, drawing a foul in the fray and Portillo made no mistake from the spot, burying the resulting penalty kick.
The shift in momentum saw the Battery double their lead six minutes later when Mueller intercepted the ball deep in Kickers territory and fed it to Portillo who laid it off to Quinton Griffith in the midfield. The Battery forward whipped a cross into to the box, finding Prince on the right side who chest trapped the ball, turned his defenders and blasted a rocket into the far corner.
Looking to pull a goal back before the break, a blocked shot by Martin was kept in play by Samuel Asante on the right flank. He floated the ball back into the box where Martin was stifled again but with his back to goal, Yeisley was able to turn the loose ball but swept his left-footed shot just wide.
Picking up where they left off after the break, the Kickers continued to pepper the Battery goal but could not capitalize 60 minutes in when Martin lofted a corner kick to the back post. The ball was cleared to the top of the box where Yomby stretched to settle it for Michael Callahan who rushed onto the field as a second half substitute and seconds later launched a low driven shot that was deflected over the endline and inches past the upright.
Kickers newcomer Anthony Grant saw a pair of chances fall by the wayside in the 68th and 77th minutes as his best chance of the half was stifled by side netting before a Goerres’ outswinging free kick to the far post connected with Jalen Robinson, only to be blocked once again by Cooper whose five saves on the night preserved his clean sheet.
The Richmond Kickers return to City Stadium on Saturday, September 5 to host the Rochester Rhinos and Bike RVA Night, presented by 3Sports. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. and tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.
Scoring Summary
30th minute: Charleston: Justin Portillo (Penalty)
37th minute: Charleston: Zach Prince (Quinton Griffith)
Lineups
Kickers: GK Travis Worra, Jalen Robinson, Hugh Roberts (George Davis IV- 45’), William Yomby, Braeden Troyer, Fred Owusu Sekyere (Michael Callahan – 61’), Sascha Görres, Samuel Asante (Anthony Grant – 45’), Collin Martin (Eli Garner – 80’), Yudai Imura (Matthew Delicate – 45’), Jason Yeisley
Battery: GK Odisnel Cooper, Emmanuel Adjetey, Taylor Mueller (Forest Lasso – 86’), Shawn Ferguson, Jared van Schaick, Maikel Chang, Zach Prince (Sebastien Thuriere – 66’), Justin Portillo, Quinton Griffith, Ricky Garbanzo (Dante Marini – 83’), Dane Kelly (Heviel Cordoves – 61’ (Navion Boyd – 89’))
Cautions:
31st minute: Sascha Görres (Richmond)
40th minute: Collin Martin (Richmond)
42nd minute: Braeden Troyer (Richmond)
57th minute: Zach Prince (Charleston)
90th minute: Heviel Cordoves (Charleston)
Referee: Andrew Musashe
Assistant Referees: Corson Fidler, Patrick Stephan
Fourth Official: Chris Scheve
Weather: Partly cloudy, 82º
Attendance: 5,957
