RICHMOND, Va. – (Friday, September 4, 2020) – The Richmond Kickers (4-1-1) make the cross-country trip this Saturday night to face FC Tucson (2-4-0) at Kino North Stadium. Kickoff for this match is set for 10:30 p.m. EDT and will be available live on WTVR CBS 6.3 (Comcast 206, Verizon FiOS 466) and streaming on ESPN+.
Richmond claimed their second win in the overall series against Tucson, with a record now of 2-0-2. Three weeks ago, the two clubs met at City Stadium, with the Kickers taking the 2-1 victory. Mutaya Mwape served in a perfect free kick to find the head of Ivan Magalhães just seven minutes into the match for the Brazilian’s first goal with the Kickers. Emiliano Terzaghi made it 2-0 for Richmond in the 42nd minute as Ryley Kraft slipped the ball through for the Argentine to find the back of the net. Shak Adams pulled a goal back in the 82nd minute for the visitors.
The Kickers took their fourth-straight victory last Saturday over the league leaders Greenville Triumph SC, 2-1 at City Stadium. Once again, Terzaghi made his impact on the match in the 15th minute. Matt Bolduc threatened early on the right wing, getting in behind the Triumph backline. He was able to get a pass through for Terzaghi to pick up his fifth goal in six matches. Before the halftime whistle, Kraft doubled the Richmond lead. Terzaghi had another shot blocked which rolled out to Luke Pavone. His follow up shot took a hit off the post. Kraft was the only player to move on the loose ball to put his shot into the back of the net.
Tucson came up short in their last match, falling 1-2 on the road at Union Omaha last Saturday night. Devin Boyce opened up the scoring in the 16th minute when Elma N’For chested down a throw in from Lucas Hauswirth for Boyce to get a shot around Carlos Merancio. Shak Adams got Tucson back into the match in the 33rd minute after his curling effort found the back of the net for the equalizer. A counter attack from Omaha in the 78th minute would find the go-ahead goal from Christian Molina.
Following Saturday’s contest, the Kickers are back on the road September 12 as they head to the newly constructed CHI Memorial Stadium to face Chattanooga Red Wolves SC. That match will kick off at 1:00 p.m. EDT and will be available live on WTVR CBS 6.3 and streaming on ESPN+.
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Richmond Kickers
Midfielder Ryley Kraft (#98) scored his second game winner in a row Saturday night against Greenville, earning himself a spot in the USL League One Team of the Week. The former United States Youth National Team player has two goals and an assist in his first full season in Richmond. Midfielder Matt Bolduc (#7) was a thorn in the side of Greenville, dominating the right side of the field. He got in behind the Triumph backline on multiple occasions, including the opportunity to set up Terzaghi for the opener. Midfielder Victor Falck (#23) has found a role in the Kickers lineup, leading the team in several distribution categories in the win over Greenville, including total passes (37) and successful passes (29). Of his 29 successful passes, all of those were considered to be good passes or crosses.
FC Tucson
Forward Shak Adams (#77) has found success recently, scoring his third goal of the season in last Saturday’s loss to Omaha on the road. His first goal of the season came in the previous meeting with the Kickers, scoring in the 82nd minute. Forward Charlie Dennis (#10) seems to be pairing well with Adams in the attack for Tucson, with the pair connecting for Adams’ goal against Richmond. He has two assists through six matches after making the off season move from South Georgia Tormenta FC. Defender Niall Louge (#20) looks to be solid at the back for Tucson, leading the club with 21 clearances and five blocks. He has played every minute so far this season for Tucson.
