CINCINNATI, OH --- With goals coming from Djiby in the third minute and Aodhan Quinn in the 89th, the Orange and Blue cruised to a 2-0 victory over the visiting Richmond Kickers at Nippert Stadium Sunday evening.
“It was a great result for us and I was happy with the performance. Full credit to the players as it was our 13th game in 53 days and that’s nothing short of impressive, while also showing character and endurance. We bounced back from Tampa and got the three points we needed tonight and it was huge. If you score early, you grow in confidence and allowed us to possess with confidence for the remainder of the match. We wanted to keep the tempo high and break them down and that’s exactly what our players did.”
The FCC attack wasted no time making their presence known in the first half as Djiby scored his ninth goal of the season in the third minute. Kenny Walker’s long pass through the midfield found its way to Djiby just in front of Richmond’s goal. Playing the first touch off his chest, Djiby collected the ball and placed it cleanly into the back of the net past the outstretched Matt Turner.
Quinn extended the FCC lead to 2-0 in the 89th minute by way of a penalty kick that came as a result of a handball by a Richmond defender. Quinn’s first attempt cleared past the keeper but did not count because an FCC player stepped inside the defensive box before the shot took place. The cool-headed Quinn had no problem putting a second attempt away though. The goal was FCC’s first PK in regulation time for the season and Quinn’s second on the year.
The Blue and Orange dominated possession in the first half of the match, and had a number of close chances as they looked to increase their 1-0 lead. Appearing to have added to their lead in the 22nd minute, Corben Bone’s give-and-go with Andrew Wiedeman found its way into the goal but was disallowed after Wiedeman was ruled offside on his touch back to Bone.
In another near-goal opportunity in the 34th minute, Eric Stevenson’s long arcing pass to Jimmy McLaughlin landed just in front of the goal. McLaughlin collected the ball and quickly dribbled back into the center of the field but his point-blank shot was stopped by the quick reflexes of Turner.
In the 41st minute, looking for one final opportunity before the half, Wiedeman centered a pass to Djiby who played the ball backwards to himself, turned and blasted a shot that hit the crossbar and went straight down before being cleared by the Richmond defense.
The FCC offense continued to distribute the ball well throughout the second half. In the 82nd minute of play, Austin Berry stole the ball away from the Richmond midfield and sent a long pass down the pitch to McLaughlin. Sidestepping one Richmond defender, McLaughlin found himself one on one with Turner. He launched a shot to the far post but was stopped by Turner’s diving save.
FCC will be back on the road this Wed. July 12th as they travel to Miami FC for a U.S. Open Cup quarterfinal matchup. The match is set to start at 7:30 p.m.
Goal Summary:
FCC: 3rd - Djiby (Kenny Walker)
FCC: 89th - Aodhan Quinn (Penalty Kick)
Starting Lineups:
FCC: Mitch Hildebrandt, Austin Berry, Paul Nicholson, Justin Hoyte, Kenny Walker, Corben Bone, Matt Bahner, Tyler Polak, Andrew Wiedeman, Jimmy McLaughlin, Djiby
RCH: Matt Turner, Mallan Roberts, Conor Shanosky, Evan Lee, Braeden Troyer, Raul Gonzalez, Chris Durkin, Brandon Eaton, Sunny Jane, Patrick McCann, Franck Tayou
