Recap: One Knox fights for a draw in a four-goal thriller at the Richmond Kickers
One Knoxville SC and the Richmond Kickers split the points on Saturday night, June 24, in a 2-2 draw in Richmond, Virginia.
One Knox came out sluggishly but flourished in the second half after giving up the first goal. Richmond found the opener early. Forward Emiliano Terzaghi put a low driven-shot past goalkeeper Sean Lewis in the 7th minute to catch Knoxville off-guard. Terzaghi’s fifth goal this season put the Kickers up 1-0.
Head coach Mark McKeever’s squad settled into the game after being shocked early. They put up seven shots and won six corners to force big chances that weren’t converted. Most of the significant opportunities in the first half came in the final 15 minutes, where One Knox had 61.0% of possession. In the end, Richmond held its 1-0 lead into halftime.
Out of the locker rooms, Knoxville had all the momentum. In the first 25 minutes, they had 70% of possession and eight shots. Richmond did not have a shot during that time.
One Knox swung the game in the blink of an eye. In the 69th minute, forward Frank Ross fired a shot that deflected off Kickers defender Dakota Baranathan to equalize the game at 1-1. Less than two minutes later, substitute forward Ilja Ilic gave Knoxville the lead with a perfectly placed shot in the bottom left corner for his third goal of the season. One Knox led 2-1 in the 71st minute.
The lead didn’t last long, as Richmond caught a break after defender Jordan Skelton conceded a penalty in the 75th minute. Terzaghi stepped up to the spot and leveled the game at 2-2 with his 6th goal of the season. That completed a span that saw three goals in six minutes.
After the flurry of goals, One Knox grabbed the possession again but couldn’t find a third goal to secure three points. One Knox finished with 59.1% of possession and 15 shots in the game. Knoxville had 64.3% of possession in the second half. It is Knoxville’s fourth draw in the last six games.
The two teams remain level on points with 21 apiece and five wins each. Knoxville remains ahead on goal differential in fourth place. Richmond stays right behind them in fifth.
One Knox’s next matchup will be a rematch against North Carolina FC on Saturday, July 8th at Regal Stadium.
