Chattanooga Red Wolves SC 3, Richmond Kickers 2
RICHMOND KICKERS | 2 | 43′ Bentley (Terzaghi), 48′ Sierakowski (Vinyals) |
CHATTANOOGA RED WOLVES SC | 3 | 56′ Mensah, 72′ Renteria, 78′ Marsh (Ualefi) |
EAST RIDGE, Tenn. — The Richmond Kickers (6-8-9, 27 pts) fell on the road, Saturday night, to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (5-12-5, 20 pts).
Emiliano Terzaghi became the third Richmond Kicker in the USL League One era to reach 100 appearances across all competitions.
Matthew Bentley and Terzaghi combined for the first goal of the night in the 43rd minute.
Simon Fitch played a through ball to Terzaghi who cut the ball out to the right in the penalty area as Bentley cut inside. Terzaghi took a dribble before playing a low cross that Bentley one-timed with his right foot and curled it past the keeper to take the lead. It marked the first goal for Bentley this season as well as Terzaghi’s first assist in USL League One play this season.
On the other side of the halftime break, the Kickers found their second thanks to the combination of Nil Vinyals and Ryan Sierakowski. After earning a corner kick, Vinyals served up an inswinging ball into the middle of the box that Sierakowski powered on frame, and, despite a Chattanooga defender getting his head to the shot, the ball still found the back of the net.
The assist from the corner marked Vinyals second-straight match with an assist from the corner. It was also his third assist of the season which tied him for the team lead.
In the 56th minute, Chattanooga found their first of the night after Ropapa Mensah found space just outside of the penalty area and hit a shot that found the far side netting.
Richmond nearly re-doubled its lead a minute later as Sierakowski had the ball on the left side of the penalty area and played a low cross to the near post. Bentley was running onto the ball but couldn’t quite get his foot to the ball to redirect it into the goal.
Chattanooga found its equalizer and go-ahead midway through the second half. Richard Renteria was first to get his foot onto the ball as the Kickers tried to clear the ball out of the danger area and drew the game level in the 72nd minute. Chevone Marsh scored the eventual game-winner six minutes later with a pacey shot that found the far side of the netting.
Richmond pressed for an equalizer of their own in the final 15 minutes and nearly found an opportunity in stoppage time as a well-placed ball found Landon Johnson in the box. The forward attempted to shake his marker to find a shot but had the ball poked away at the last second.
The Kickers still took the season series over the Red Wolves, 2-1-0, after Richmond won successive matches at City Stadium in June and July.
The Kickers return home next Saturday, August 19th to host first-place North Carolina FC on Youth Soccer and RVAccess Night presented by The Richmond Times-Dispatch. The doors at City Stadium are set to open at 5:45 p.m. ahead of the 7 p.m. kickoff. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.
For just a yearly subscription of $35, fans unlock up to 50% off their tickets, 15% savings on Kickers’ swag, and more with a Kickers+ Membership! This steal of a deal pays for itself after your first four (4) purchased tickets. Become a member and start saving today! Additional information can be found at richmondkickers.com/kickersplus.
Stay up to date with all of the Kickers news at RichmondKickers.com and on social media on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube. Download the Richmond Kickers mobile app for news, contests, and more!