The Richmond Kickers suffered a 2-1 loss to Bethlehem Steel FC Sunday afternoon.
The Richmond Kickers suffered a 2-1 loss to Bethlehem Steel FC Sunday afternoon. Steel forward Eric Ayuk and midfielder Derrick Jones tallied goals on either side of the half before Kickers midfielder Yudai Imura pulled one back in the second half.
Withstanding a skied shot over the crossbar directly after kickoff and a barrage of corner kicks inside the first 20 minutes, Kickers goalkeeper Ryan Taylor was forced into action when the Steel defense intercepted the ball at the top of their own box and played Ayuk through the right wing. Racing down the flank, he drew Taylor to the near post before slicing a cross to Jones. The Steel midfielder ran onto the ball and redirected it to the opposite post with the outside of his right foot but Taylor made an acrobatic leap to parry it over the bar.
The heroics were short-lived as Bethlehem capitalized on a defensive error three minutes later. A missed clearance fell to Cole Missimo in front of a crowd at the top of the box. Eluding his defender, he backheeled the ball to Ayuk who caught Taylor off his line with a low, driven ball tucked inside the right post to give the home side the early lead.
The Kickers nearly responded with an equalizer when Travis Pittman delivered a long throw in from the right side, connecting with Imura at the top of his box but his shot rolled harmlessly through the defense and into the arms of a diving John McCarthy.
Bethlehem wasted little time extending their lead, adding a second tally thirty seconds after the second half restart. Ayuk muscled Kickers midfielder Michael Callahan off the ball and laid it off to Jones who sliced a diagonal ball from the penalty spot into the far left corner.
The Kickers cut the deficit in half in the 50th minute when forward Miguel Aguilar delivered an inswinging corner kick to a crowded near post. Hugh Roberts battled for the ball in the air but it rebounded back to the top of the box. Imura raced onto the loose ball and buried a determined shot into the back of the net.
Five minutes later, Brian Ownby collected the ball on the left wing and played a leading ball through to Aguilar who fired towards the near post but McCarthy tipped it just over the bar. Then, midfielder Luiz Fernando lofted a ball from the right wing to the far endline. A sliding Aguilar kept the ball in play and freed Ownby with a give and go who turned at the top of the box and blasted a point blank shot that was blocked by an awaiting Bethlehem goalkeeper.
Later, Bethlehem took advantage of a collision in the midfield that left Gabriel Gissie alone on the left touchline. He played a lateral ball to Ayuk who dummied a shot before laying it off for Jamie Luchini but his effort from the penalty area glanced just wide.
With the final whistle looming, the Kickers argued for a hand ball call in the box but could not rally for the equalizer and will carry their first loss of the season into next week’s match against the Charlotte Independence on April 22.
Following the two-game road stand, the Kickers return to City Stadium to host Toronto FC II and Bike RVA Night on Saturday, April 30. Tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.
Scoring Summary
21st minute: Bethlehem: Eric Ayuk (Cole Missimo)
46th minute: Bethlehem: Derrick Jones (Eric Ayuk)
50th minute: Richmond: Yudai Imura
Lineups
Steel: GK John McCarthy, Ryan Richter, Michael Daly, Auston Trusty, Taylor Washington, Boluwatife Akinyode, Derrick Jones, Eric Ayuk, Gabriel Gissie (Amoy Brown – 86’) , Cole Missimo (Jamie Luchini – 65’), Seku Conneh (Joshua Heard – 89’)
Kickers: GK Ryan Taylor, Braeden Troyer, Travis Pittman (Matthew Delicate – 77’), William Yomby, Hugh Roberts, Michael Callahan (Fred Owusu Sekyere – 69’), Lucas Paulini (Luiz Fernando – 37’), Brian Ownby (Sascha Goerres – 88’), Miguel Aguilar (Sunny Jane – 72’), Yudai Imura, Jason Yeisley
