Kickers drop first leg of the Henny Derby, Forward Madison win 2-1
VENN
RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) -- The Richmond Kickers (2-2-0, 6pts) came up short in a physical match against rival Forward Madison (1-1-0, 3pts) on Saturday night at City Stadium.
The atmosphere was intense in front of a Richmond crowd of 4,576 attendees. The Henny Derby, originating between the leaders of support groups between the Richmond Kickers and Forward Madison, is a matchup of two of the league’s most passionate fan bases.
Opportunity came early for Richmond, as Matt Bolduc beat multiple Forward Madison defenders before Madison Goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley denied the 8th minute chance. Approximately ten minutes later, the Kickers’ best opportunity of the first half rang off the far post after a corner from Kickers Player of the Match, Maxi Schenfeld, whipped into the middle of the box.
For the remainder of the first half, the teams exchanged blows. The game grew physical, and the importance of the rivalry was evident through the play on the field. Richmond Kickers Goalkeeper James Sneddon thwarted multiple Forward Madison counter attacks, keeping the Roo’s even until the 40th minute.
Forward Madison midfielder Derek Gebhard was amongst the scrum of Madison attackers and Richmond defenders as he found the back of the net to open the scoring late in the first half.
Richmond came out of halftime with intensity and pace, looking to equalize. Within the first minute of the half, veteran Darwin Espinal had a quality chance at goal that was ultimately deflected away by a Madison defender for a corner.
In the 48th minute, a Forward Madison counter would lead to Gebhard’s second goal of the match. Putting the Kickers behind 2-0.
The Kickers fought back and answered immediately. Kickers captain Dakota Barnathan assisted the 50th minute goal, finding Espinal on the left side. Espinal’s second touch beat the Madison defender, and his next touch unloaded a beautiful shot to the top right corner of the net from the top of the 18-yard box.
The Kickers were relentless in search of an equalizer. Perhaps the best opportunity was off the foot of Richmond native Josh Kirkland, who subbed on in the 66th minute. A cross from the right side found Kirkland on the far post, but Lapsley was able to make the save and preserve Madison’s lead.
Despite the physical matchup, which resulted in 5 yellow cards for Forward Madison players, Richmond was able to out-possess the Flamingos (59%-41%). The Kickers outshot their opponent (19-14), created more corners (10-7), and completed a higher percentage of their passes (76%-67%). By xG, a statistic that estimates the probability of a shot resulting in a goal, the Kickers had a slight edge over Forward Madison (1.30-1.20). The Kickers looked strong and crisp, but an equalizer ultimately did not fall their way.
After the match, Head Coach Darren Sawatzky spoke to the media. He emphasized starting home games strong and finding a team rhythm defensively to prevent opponents from scoring multiple goals a match. He was impressed with Goal Keeper’s James Sneddon’s performance and the team looks forward to making adjustments ahead of their next match, April 9th against Union Omaha at City Stadium.
Watch full match highlights by clicking here.
