Match Recap: Kickers Postseason Run Ends Late On the Road

TUCSON, Ariz.  — The Richmond Kickers’ (11-10-7) first playoff run since the 2016 season ended on the road at FC Tucson (11-10-7) in the quarterfinals of the USL League One playoffs after an 87th-minute goal and only shot on target for the hosts broke the stalemate.

Richmond’s first playoff match since 2016 was underway with the Reds making one change from the last several weeks with Nathan Aune starting in the match. The Kickers were solid in the back as they absorbed pressure from the hosts while flashing danger on the wings on the counter.

Both sides were unable to exploit each other’s defenses as the match went into the half in a stalemate just one week after the same match between the two sides saw three combined goals in the first 45. 

When the two sides emerged for the second half, Richmond pressed for a go-ahead. Jonathan Bolanos was running through the middle of the FC Tucson defense after beating his marker but was brought down shortly after earning a free kick in a decent spot for Richmond.

Nil Vinyals sent a cross into the far end of the Tucson box to Aune who squared it back across the face of the goal for Jalen Crisler who tried side-footing the ball but the Tucson defense and Wallis Lapsley were able to get pressure on the attempt and quell the attack.

In the 75th minute, Bolanos was surging up the left wing, beating his marker turning him inside, then cutting into the box he let a low-driven shot into the near post which Lapsley was able to get behind, and collect.

With the clock winding down, in the final 10 minutes of regular time, FC Tucson was able to find a go-ahead goal off of a Derri Corfe shot into the far post, bringing Tucson to 1-0 in the 87th minute. Despite having three additional minutes of stoppage time, the Kickers were unable to find an equalizer.

The Kickers were unlucky not to earn a result in the desert as the attack produced twice as many shots as the hosts including five shots on target while holding Tucson to only one shot on target. Ultimately, the Kickers were built to withstand a siege and were dangerous off the ball.

While Richmond’s season ends in Tucson, the Reds under Darren Sawatzky have their first playoff appearance under their belt exactly two years to the day that Sawatzky was named the man to rebuild the club and after a truncated 2020 season that saw the Reds 90 minutes away from making the 2020 USL League One Final.

The Roos will look to continue building on the progress made over the last two years as they head into the 2022 USL League One Season.

BOX SCORE

LINEUPS

Richmond: Akira Fitzgerald, Chris Cole, Ivan Magalhães, Nathan Aune (59’ – Victor Falck), Jalen Crisler, Esteban Calvo, Zaca Moran, Ethan Bryant (89’ – Oalex Anderson), Nil Vinyals (88’ – Luke Pavone ), Emiliano Terzaghi, Jonathan Bolanos (80’ – Matt Bolduc)

Unused Substitutes: Austin Causey, Juan Pablo Monticelli, Hernan Gonzalez

FC Tucson: Wallis Lapsley, Maximiliano Schenfeld, Noah Franke, Luca Mastrantonio, Kaelon Fox, Charlie Dennis, Mohamed Kone, Joao Delgado (23’ – Daniel Bedoya)(89’ – Dakota Barnathan), Shak Adams (89’ – Alex Knox)​​, Deri Corfe, Kevin Rodríguez  (82’ – Giovanni Calixtro)

STATISTICS

SCORING SUMMARY

CAUTIONS SUMMARY
 

EJECTIONS SUMMARY

None.