The Kickers (3-6-4, 13 pts) fought hard against the top of the table Spokane Velocity (8-1-4, 28) but fell to the league leaders off an unlucky bounce to go down 0-1 through the final whistle.
The first promising offensive attack of the game came in the fifth minute as Spokane made a run and earned a corner kick. After playing it short, a cross was sent into the box and found the head of a Spokane attacker but James Sneddon got a hand to it, deflecting it off the crossbar before Terzaghi was able to clear it well.
Spokane maintained control of the ball but the Kickers’ youthful backline moved pristinely through the first half, keeping the visitors from capitalizing in the final third.
Captain, and ultimately tonight’s Player of the Match, Dakota Barnathan earned a free kick from outside the box in the 19th minute. Nils Seufert lined up to put the ball in play, sending it into the box and finding the head of Barnathan who sent the redirection just north of the crossbar.
In the 22nd minute, Spokane was able to set up a scoring opportunity but Sneddon shut down the attack by punching away the cross.
Richmond continued their effective set piece defense in the 37th, as they forced a tough header on a Spokane corner kick that had no chance of finding the back of the net.
As the first half came to a close, Spokane made a run into the final third, but Richmond was able to recover as Griffin Garnett deflected the ball out of the end line.
Spokane found the back of the net in the 46th minute.
The early part of the second half saw little movement from either side. Outside of the one goal catching the Kickers defense on the back foot, the line held strong.
The pressure stayed on the Kickers’ defense as Spokane built another attack in the 73rd. A towering cross flew into the six. Sneddon leaped into the crowd to claim the ball and put Richmond on the attack. A long ball was sent to Bolduc who drew a foul and earned a free kick. The free kick, put into play by Seufert, found the head of Terzaghi who sent the ball just left of the post.
In the 77th minute, Spokane’s Andre Lewis made a run into the final third, creating a one-on-one matchup with Sneddon. With a quick reaction, Sneddon easily made the save to shut down the scoring opportunity.
Spokane aligned for a corner kick in the 87th minute but as the ball was sent in, Sneddon broke through the crowd and easily claimed it. He returned the ball to play with pace to help build another offensive attack for the Kickers.
Originating from the back line, a long ball was played through to Bolduc, making his patented run down the left wing in the 89th minute. He controlled the ball and sent a sharp cross over the six but he was unable to connect with a teammate.
