RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers battled in the defensive third but fell 2-0 to Fort Wayne on Wednesday at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium. Richmond battled through a scoreless opening 44 minutes, but Fort Wayne found a late first-half breakthrough before adding another in the second half.
Yann Fillion kept Richmond in the match with several key stops throughout the opening half, including back-to-back saves just minutes before Fort Wayne broke through off a corner in the 45th minute. The Kickers continued to battle after the break, with Fillion again denying multiple dangerous chances while Richmond looked for an opening of its own. Josh Kirkland and Tyler Freeman nearly created a late opportunity, but Fort Wayne added a second goal from a free kick to secure a 2-0 victory.
Fort Wayne was led by Jaden Smith who put the home team on the board.
Breaking Down The Action
- Fort Wayne earned a free kick into the box, but Yann Fillion stepped up to shut down the attempt in the 40th minute.
- Fort Wayne created another chance inside the box four minutes later, but Fillion got a hand to the shot and tipped it away.
- No. 2, Jayden Smith, nudged in a rebound off of a Fort Wayne corner in the 45th minute to open the scoring, 1-0.
- Sam Layton carried the ball forward and found Tyler Freeman on the right side, but his shot went just wide of the net in stoppage time of the first half.
- Fort Wayne led Richmond 1-0 at halftime.
- Dakota Barnathan and Beckett Howell entered for Ali Sasankhah and Darwin Espinal at halftime.
- Fort Wayne sent another ball into the box in the 50th minute, but Fillion dove down to prevent the attempt from finding the net.
- Josh Kirkland came on for Matt Bolduc in the 67th minute.
- Fillion came off his line to deny Fort Wayne in a one-on-one situation in the 72nd minute.
- No. 23, Jack Thomas, doubled the hosts’ lead with a free-kick finish in the 75th minute.
- Kirkland carried the ball toward the end line before finding Freeman in the middle in the 80th minute, but a Fort Wayne defender blocked the resulting shot.
- Landon Johnson replaced Mujeeb Murana in the 81st minute.
- The final whistle blew with a 2-0 score in favor of Fort Wayne FC.
Notable Numbers
- 3: Tyler Freeman totaled three shots on the night.
- 3: Axel Gallegos tallied three clearances in his sixth game of the season.
- 4: Sam Layton recorded a team-high four tackles and six clearances.
- 6: Yann Fillion notched six saves in the contest.
- 30: Saturday marked Richmond’s 30th match of the season across all competitions and 23rd in USL1 play.
- 34: 2026 marks the Kickers’ 34th continuously operating season.
- 79: Yann Fillion currently ranks third in USL1 with 79 saves on the season.
- 100: Matt Bolduc notched his 100th career appearance in USL1 regular season play.
Series History
- The Richmond Kickers now hold a 0-2-0 record against For Wayne FC all-time.
- The two clubs previously faced each other on June 20, 2026, with Fort Wayne claiming a 2-0 victory at City Stadium
Up Next
- Richmond hosts Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6:00 p.m. at City Stadium. Get your tickets for pups at the pitch today at richmondkickers.com/tickets and follow all of the action live at @richmondkickers on Instagram, Facebook and X (Twitter).
