RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, September 27, 2019) – The Richmond Kickers (8-12-5) will take their final road trip of the 2019 USL League One season Saturday night as they travel to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (9-8-9). Kickoff for this match is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be available live on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and streaming on ESPN+.
Saturday’s match is the fourth meeting between the Kickers and Red Wolves this season, with Chattanooga getting the best of the Kickers this season with a record of 2-1-0. Richmond picked up the first win of the series, 1-0 on April 27 when Chattanooga made the trip to City Stadium for the first time ever. Joe Gallardo netted the game winner in the 52nd minute from an assist by Mutaya Mwape. Chattanooga returned to City Stadium June 15, this time with the visitors taking the 2-0 win. Sito Seoane and Amirgy Pineda scored and assisted on each others goal in the second half to pick up the three points on the road. An early goal cost the Kickers points on the road in their first trip to David Stanton Field. Chattanooga’s leading goal scorer, Steven Beattie struck in the seventh minute for the lone goal of the night.
Richmond battled FC Tucson to a wild scoreless draw on the road last Saturday night. Akira Fitzgerald recorded five saves en route to his eighth shutout of the season, earning him a spot on the USL League One Team of the Week. The story of the night was the red card ejections from both sides. Kyle Venter was shown his second yellow card of the night 75th minute to reduce Tucson to ten men. The sides equalled out nine minutes later when Conor Shanosky was issued a straight red card for denial of a goalscoring opportunity. Richmond would be down to nine men three minutes after the Shanosky red card when Wahab Ackwei was shown his second yellow card of the night. The hard luck continued for the Kickers as Joe Gallardo will also not be available for the match at Chattanooga due to yellow card accumulation.
Chattanooga picked up vital points at home last Saturday night against Orlando City B. Sito Seoane scored off a deflection to put the home side up 1-0 in the 34th minute. In first half stoppage time, Leonardo Simas leveled the score just before the halftime whistle. Red Wolves jumped back in the lead in the 54th minute with a goal from Tony Walls. With the win, Chattanooga stayed alive in the playoff hunt with 34 points, five points off fourth place Forward Madison FC.
The Kickers will close out the 2019 USL League One season with a two match homestand, first hosting Toronto FC II and Breast Cancer Awareness Night Wednesday, October 2. In honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month, the first 400 fans, ages 14 and up, will be given a Breast Cancer Awareness t-shirt presented by the VCU Massey Cancer Center. The midweek match will also be College Night for all the students in the Richmond area. Students with valid college ids can purchase $6 tickets at the booths outside the stadium. Finally, fans over the age of 21 can take advantage of Happy Hour specials from 5:30-7 p.m. that include $1 PBR can beers and $3 off craft beers and wine.
Three days later the Kickers will host their final match of the season against Orlando City B and Fan Appreciation Night. Fans over the age of 21 can partake in the extended Happy Hour special from 5:30-7 p.m. and enjoy $3 off their craft beers and wine. After the match has concluded, fans under the age of 14 are invited to partake in a post-match shootout at the North End goal. Meanwhile, fans are also invited to a post-match meet and greet with the players from 9-9:30 p.m. Tickets for both matches are available now at www.richmondkickers.com.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Richmond: Midfielder Matt Bolduc (#11) is tied for third in USL League One for assists with six this season. He had 42 touches and a passing accuracy of 72.4 percent during last Saturday’s scoreless draw at Tucson. Goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald (#1) earned a spot in the USL League One Team of the Week for Week 26 after earning his eighth shutout of the season following the 0-0 draw at Tucson. Fitzgerald is second in the league for saves with 69 this season. He is also sitting in fourth for shutouts in the league. Defender Ivan Magalhães (#4) will be relied upon heavily after the absences of both Wahab Ackwei and Conor Shanosky. The Brazilian center back had seven clearances and two interceptions that lead to the Kickers shutout of Tucson on the road.
Chattanooga: Midfielder Amirgy Pineda (#14) was named to the USL League One Team of the Week after assisting on the first goal of the 2-1 win over Orlando City B. He had a goal and assist against the Kickers in the second meeting at City Stadium back on June 15. Defender Tony Walls (#20) was also named to the Team of the Week when he scored the game winning goal against OCB. He has two goals and two assists this season for the Red Wolves. Goalkeeper Alex Mangels (#24) has played every minute in goal for Chattanooga this season, racking up 76 saves. He is sitting just behind Akira Fitzgerald with six shutouts this season.
