USL Richmond Kickers

Kickers Suffer 4-3 Loss to New York Red Bulls II

July 25, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Richmond Kickers News Release


HARRISON, NJ - The Richmond Kickers dropped a 4-3 loss to New York Red Bulls II Saturday afternoon at Red Bull Arena. A frenetic first half saw five goals with both the Kickers Jason Yeisley and Red Bulls II Chris Tsonis each grabbing a brace before Daniel Bedoya rounded out the scoreline with a late second half tally to earn three points in the tightly contested Eastern Conference standings.

The frenzied pace kicked off inside the 10-minute mark when the Red Bulls II countered early Kickers offensive pressure with a long ball that was picked up by Juan Sanchez deep in Kickers territory. His flick-on header met Tsonis at the penalty spot but goalkeeper Ryan Taylor closed down the space and stripped the ball off his feet. However, he could not control it as it rebounded out to Bedoya whose follow up shot was headed off the line by Alex Lee.

Minutes later, Tsonis was not to be denied a second time and gave the home side an early lead when he linked up with Sanchez at the top of the box, turned his mark and bent a low deflected shot through traffic and inside the right post.

The celebrations were short-lived as the Kickers leveled the score in the 18th minute when defender Uriah Bentick fed the ball through to George Davis IV. A quick switch freed Fred Owusu Sekyere in the midfield to play a leading ball to Lee on the right wing. Lee lofted a cross into the box and connected with Yeisley who buried a diving header from the penalty spot.

Yeisley struck again five minutes later when Sascha Görres delivered a free kick into a swarming box. The ball pinged out to Owusu at the top of the 18 who lofted an outswinging cross to the left edge of the six yard box where Yeisley leapt above his defenders and nodded home his second goal of the day.

The lead was brief as the eventful first half concluded with a pair of Red Bulls II goals in a span of five minutes.

First, Colin Heffron carried the ball deep on the left flank and sliced it across the goal mouth as Taylor dove to his left to parry it from harm's way. Franklin Castellanos kept the ball in play and forced it out to James Thomas who floated it back into the mix, only to be cleared by Jalen Robinson. Stationed 20 yards out, Devon Williams made no mistake with the volleyed rebound that bounced just inside the far upright.

Then, Bolu Akinyode played a leading ball to Heffron who raced towards the endline before splitting defenders with a well placed cross finding Tsonis lurking at the top of the six yard box who tapped in his second goal of the half to reclaim the advantage just before the break.

Searching for the equalizer in the opening 10 minutes of the second half, Görres curled a 35 yard free kick into a crowded box. Bentick rose for the header but could not direct it downward as it skimmed just over the crossbar.

A defensive battle ensued and it was not until the 81st minute that New York sealed their victory. Red Bulls II midfielder Konrad Plewa fought through a congested midfield and launched a leading ball over the top, finding Bedoya who was off on a breakaway towards the box. With only the charging goalkeeper to beat, he avoided the tackle and slipped the ball under a diving Taylor to extend the home side's lead.

The Kickers pulled a goal back just before the final whistle when second half substitute Nathan Shiffman kept the ball alive in the midfield. He laid it off to Yeisley who warded off his defender and cut the ball back to Robinson who raced towards the box. Robinson squared the ball for Shiffman who rocketed a right footed blast from the top of the box to pull the visitors within striking distance but the last gasp heroics were not enough to salvage the point on the road.

The Richmond Kickers return to City Stadium on Saturday, August 1 to host the Harrisburg City Islanders and Craft Beer Fest. Tickets are on sale now at RichmondKickers.com.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from July 25, 2015


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