LANCASTER, Calif. – The Richmond Kickers (0-0-1) earned a hard fought 1-1 draw in their USL League One season opener against AV Alta FC (0-0-1) on Saturday at Lancaster Municipal Stadium. Striker Josh Kirkland scored Richmond’s first goal of the 2026 season and lone tally of the match.
Richmond improved to 3-2-2 in season opening matchups under Head Coach Darren Sawatzky and picked up its first point of the regular season.Tonight’s match also marked the Kickers debut for 10 players, all seeing their first regular season minutes for the club.
Kirkland used his pace and opportunistic play to chase down the ball just inside the box and open the scoring with a ball in the bottom left corner of the net. Goalkeeper Yann Fillion made six saves including multiple in key moments to preserve the 1-1 draw. Defenders Hayden Anderson, Sam Layton and Sean Vinberg each recorded five or more clearances in the contest, providing key defensive support while playing the full 90 minutes.
AV Alta was led by Jerry Desdunes who proved to be a key presence for AV Alta FC, scoring the teams lone goal off a penalty kick.
Breaking Down The Action
- Yann Fillion tallied his first save with the Kickers, keeping AV Alta off the board six minutes into the action.
- Josh Kirkland netted the Kicker’s first goal of 2026, sneaking a shot into the bottom left corner to make the score 1-0 in the eighth minute.
- Jerry Desdunes converted a AV Alta penalty attempt, leveling the score at 1-1 in the 25th minute of play.
- The first half came to a close with the score at one goal apiece.
- Tyler Freeman missed a header just over the crossbar in the 54th minute, keeping the score level at 1-1.
- Lucca Dourado and Tarik Pannholzer entered the match in the 68th minute, replacing Josh Kirkland and Tyler Freeman.
- Beckett Howell replaced Owen O’Malley in the 71st minute of action.
- Daniel Moore made his kickers debut, replacing Mujeeb Murana in the 80th minute.
- Fillion saved a top corner shot attempt from Desdunes, holding the score level at 1-1 in the 89th minute.
- Fillion denied a 96th minute AV Alta set piece attempt, securing a 1-1 draw at the final whistle.
Notable Numbers
- 1: The matchup marks the first game of the 2026 season.
- 1: Richmond claimed its first win of the 2026 season
- 3: Richmond holds a 3-2-2 record in season openers under Head Coach Darren Sawatzky
- 5: Hayden Anderson (5), Sam Layton (6) and Sean Vinberg (7) each recorded 5 or more clearances in the match.
- 6: Yann Fillion recorded six saves in his first game as a kicker.
- 10: 10 players made their Kickers debut on the evening.
- 34: The Kickers begin their 34th season all-time.
Series History
- With the result, Richmond now holds a 2-1-1 record all-time against AV Alta.
- The matchup marks the third between the two USL1 opponents.
Up Next
- The Kickers will host NoVA FC at City Stadium in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Tuesday, March 17 at 6:30 p.m. The game will be broadcast on CBS 6.3 and ESPN+ with live updates and links available at richmondkickers.com or @RichmondKickers on X (Twitter).
