USL PRO Game Report
Saturday, April 19, 2014
RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers rallied for a 2-2 draw against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at City Stadium on Saturday night. Former Kickers midfielder and Richmond native Brian Ownby opened the scoring and Jhonny Arteaga converted a second half penalty kick to give the Riverhounds a 2-0 advantage before Kickers midfielder Kyle Porter and forward Matthew Delicate tallied a pair of late goals to preserve the point.
Looking to avenge an earlier-season loss in Richmond, the Riverhounds opened scoring in the 11th minute. A give-and-go between Matt Dallman and Jason Johnson on the right flank sprung Johnson free to whip a cross to the back post but Ownby’s header was cleared over the endline. Dallman stepped up for the resulting corner with his well-placed inswinger finding Joseph Ngwenya six yards out. The former Kickers midfielder’s point-blank header was blocked against the crossbar by a leaping Ryan Taylor, but Taylor could not recover the rebound as Ownby flew onto the ball to finish with a diving header.
The Kickers squandered their chance to level the score eight minutes later when a free kick at midfield found defender Taylor Kemp on the left flank. Carrying the ball deep into Riverhounds territory, he delivered a cross to the far post but Porter’s header spun just wide of the upright.
Seconds later, Kickers midfielder George Davis IV broke free and raced through the midfield with Riverhounds defenders trailing. As he barreled towards the box with a 1-on-1 against Pittsburgh goalkeeper Matt Lisch in his sights, Mike Green caught up and forced Davis’ shot to the far post to skim just wide.
Attempting to pull a goal back after the restart, Porter nearly drew the score even twice inside the first 10 minutes of the second half. First, he won the ball on the right edge of the box, and found Davis rounding defenders on the opposite side but his onrushing shot at the near post was denied by Lisch who made a daring kick save to hold the lead.
Then, he was back in action minutes later when midfielder Mike Callahan played him a lateral ball but his left-footed curler from 20 yards out was scooped up by the awaiting Riverhounds goalkeeper.
Weathering the offensive pressure, the Riverhounds doubled their lead in the 61st minute when Ownby drew a foul in the box as he battled Kickers defender William Yomby for control of the ball. Arteaga stepped up to the spot and buried the ensuing penalty kick.
The Kickers cut the deficit in half four minutes later when Kemp played the ball to Porter. This time, the midfielder was not to be denied as his distance shot rocketed into the upper-right corner.
With less than 15 minutes remaining in regulation, the home side leveled when Callahan played a long ball across the field, connecting with Samual Asante on the right wing. The swift midfielder sliced a cross through to Delicate at the near post, and the Kickers' all-time leading scorer slotted a low ball underneath the crouching keeper.
Refueled after conceding the equalizer, the Riverhounds nearly struck again in the 85th minute. Dallman lined up a free kick 25 yards out, weaving through traffic only to be denied by Taylor who parried his determined shot just wide. Danny Earls delivered the corner kick but defender Anthony Arena’s header caromed off the crossbar, keeping the game level.
The Richmond Kickers travel to the Dayton Dutch Lions next Saturday night before returning to City Stadium on Friday, May 2 to host the Rochester Rhinos at 7 p.m. Pittsburgh, meanwhile, returns home next Saturday night to host the Charleston Battery at Highmark Stadium.