RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers battled through the rain, grabbing a point with a 1-1 result against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC on Saturday at City Stadium. Richmond responded to a Chattanooga goal in the opening possession with a match-high 21 shots including 13 in the second half.
Chattanooga opened the scoring in the second minute as Omar Hernandez scored off a free kick in the opening minutes. Richmond responded with a strong defensive effort to keep the deficit at one, as Yann Fillion recorded four saves and Sam Layton tallied a match-high nine clearances. The Kickers nearly secured a first half equalizer as a Josh Kirkland header hit the crossbar in the 24th minute. Richmond continued to push late, with Zahir Vazquez finding the back of the net in the 90th minute before Beckett Howell struck the crossbar in the sixth minute of stoppage time as the Kickers settled for a 1-1 draw.
Chattanooga was led by Omar Hernandez who put them on the board in the first half.
Breaking Down The Action
- No. 7 Omar Hernandez opened the scoring for Chattanooga in the second minute, 0-1.
- Chattanooga created a one-on-one opportunity in the box, but Yann Fillion dove down to deny the attempt in the 16th minute.
- Richmond worked its way into the box and Dakota Barnathan followed up on a rebound before Josh Kirkland’s header struck the crossbar in the 24th minute.
- Sam Layton stepped in to shut down a Chattanooga run into the box in the 31st minute and prevent a goal scoring opportunity.
- Fillion dropped down to knock away another Chattanooga attempt inside the box in the 39th minute.
- Chattanooga led 1-0 at halftime.
- Nils Seufert entered the match for Ali Sasankhah in the 61st minute.
- Tyler Freeman and Landon Johnson came on for Tarik Pannholzer and Matt Bolduc in the 67th minute.
- Beckett Howell and Zahir Vazquez replaced Kirkland and Mujeeb Murana in the 75th minute.
- Seufert played a ball to Owen O’Malley at the top of the box, but his shot sailed just past the post in the 79th minute.
- Barnathan’s shot was deflected by a Chattanooga defender and fell to Vazquez, who scored his first goal as Richmond Kicker to level the match in the 90th minute, 1-1.
- Richmond nearly completed the comeback in stoppage, but Beckett Howell’s shot struck the crossbar.
- The final whistle sounded with an even score of 1-1.
Notable Numbers
- 1: Zahir Vazquez scored his first goal as a Kicker.
- 7: Josh Kirkland paces the Richmond attack with seven goals across all competitions and six in USL1 play
- 9: Sam Layton totaled nine clearances tonight.
- 21: Richmond tallied a match-high 21 shots on the night.
- 31: Saturday marked Richmond’s 31st match of the season across all competitions and 24th in USL1 play.
- 34: 2026 marks the Kickers’ 34th continuously operating season.
- 85: Yann Fillion currently ranks second in USL1 with 85 saves on the season.
Series History
- The Richmond Kickers now hold a 6-13-3 record against Chattanooga Red Wolves SC all-time.
- The two clubs last faced each other on May 27, 2026, with Chattanooga claiming a 5-0 victory at CHI Memorial Stadium.
- The Kickers last win over Chattanooga was a 2-1 victory on Oct. 26, 2024 at City Stadium.
Up Next
- Richmond travels for a midweek clash with Westchester SC on Wednesday, Sept. 16 at 7:00 p.m. EST at The Stadium at Memorial Field. The game will be broadcast on CBS 6.2 and ESPN+ with live updates and links available at richmondkickers.com or @RichmondKickers on X (Twitter).
