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USL1 Richmond Kickers

Kickers Guarantee Top 4 Finish with Comeback Draw at Tormenta FC

October 3, 2022 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Richmond Kickers News Release


Richmond Kickers versus South Georgia Tormenta FC
Richmond Kickers versus South Georgia Tormenta FC
(Richmond Kickers)

STATESBORO, Ga. - - The Richmond Kickers (13-7-8, 47 pts) are guaranteed a top-4 finish and home playoff match at City Stadium during the 2022 USL League One Playoffs, presented by Hisense, after earning a comeback 1-1 draw in stoppage time at South Georgia Tormenta FC (11-9-8, 41 pts).

Energized by the opportunity to play their first match in their new stadium, Tormenta started off on the front foot, testing the Kickers' defense throughout the majority of the first half.

Emiliano Terzaghi asked his own questions of Tormenta's defense in the 22nd minute, launching an outside-of-the-box effort that was saved by the Tormenta goalkeeper.

In the 41st minute, Tormenta found its breakthrough. Jake Dengler received the ball at the top of the Kickers' penalty area and hit a low-driven ball that Fuad Adeniyi deflected into the back of the net from the six-yard box.

The Roos were fired up looking for an equalizer and, in the 51st minute, Terzaghi received the ball with a defender on his back. He turned quickly and fired off a shot while falling backward that forced a save out of the Tormenta keeper.

In the 54th minute, Matthew Bentley crossed the ball into the box which found a diving Jonathan Bolanos. The forward got his head to the ball but his attempt went just high and ricocheted off of the wrong side of the crossbar.

The resilience and hard work paid off in the 91st minute, as the Kickers were awarded a free kick on the left wing a couple of yards past the midfield line. Nil Vinyals launched an arching ball into the box that glanced the head of Nathan Aune who flicked the ball on target and into the back of the net to save a point on the road.

Because of the angling of the broadcast cameras, the goal was initially ruled as a direct free-kick goal by Vinyals but is currently under review.

Aune's goal marked the sixth stoppage-time goal the Kickers have scored this season. It also marked the 21st point earned from a losing position for the Kickers which leads the league.

Akira Fitzgerald put in another herculean performance between the pipes as he made seven saves against Tormenta and became the first goalkeeper in USL League One history to record 100 saves in a season. Currently, the reigning goalkeeper of the year sits at 101 saves on the season.

Richmond kept its grip on first place in USL League One after both second-place Greenville Triumph SC and third-place Union Omaha also drew over the weekend. With two matches remaining, the Kickers can clinch the number one overall seed with two or more points.

The Kickers will host at least one playoff match at City Stadium no matter what in 2022 as the third and fourth seeds host a quarterfinal matchup while the top two seeds have a bye week.

The Kickers have two matches left in the regular season beginning with a road match on Saturday, Oct. 8 at Forward Madison FC before returning home to host Greenville in the USL League One regular-season finale. The club will host Fan Appreciation Night that night. Kickoff on Oct. 15 is set for 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available at richmondkickers.com/tickets.

Stay up to date with the latest news from the Kickers at RichmondKickers.com and on the official team app.

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Richmond Kickers versus South Georgia Tormenta FC
Richmond Kickers versus South Georgia Tormenta FC
   



United Soccer League One Stories from October 3, 2022


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