Kickers fall in Home Opener

The Richmond Kickers and Charlotte Independence squared off two weeks ago in Charlotte which lead to a draw in Week 1. Both teams enter this match with victories last week. The Richmond Kickers returned to City Stadium for the first time in 2023 after starting the season on the road for the last two games. The highly anticipated rematch between the Richmond Kickers vs Charlotte Independence ended in a 2-1 victory for Charlotte.

Charlotte Independence took an early 1-0 lead in the 13th minute as a goal from Clay Dimick, scored the 13th-minute mark. The Kickers countered quickly, with Owayne Gordon scoring an electrifying goal in the 25th minute that was assisted by Kharlton Belmar.

The rest of the first half was evenly matched, with both teams creating several chances but unable to convert them into goals. The second half saw Charlotte Independence Defender Nick Spielman score in the 62nd minute to take a 2-1 lead. Lighting & rain hit the Richmond area which caused a weather delay in the 80th minute. The delay lasted for over 2 hours. Both teams returned with 10 minutes left, after the 90th minute there were 7 minutes of stoppage play where the Independence held to their lead & got the road win.

What's Next: The Kickers Return to City Stadium on Thursday at 7 PM EST vs Cleveland SC in the Lamar Hunt US Open Cup

At The Podium: After tonight's loss we spoke with Head Coach Darren Sawatzky, Kharlton Belmar, & Owayne Gordon.

Rams End 2 Game Skid, Defeats Howard 70-60

FINAL SCORE: VCU 70 Howard 60

Game Summary Coming off a heartbreaking loss to Jacksonville on Wednesday, the Rams Faced off with The Howard Bison. The Rams were short-handed as Ace Baldwin Jr was sidelined with a wrist injury. The Bison also entered this contest with a 2 game losing streak. The Bison started off the game with a 10-2 lead. The Rams counted with a 6-0 to take a 13-12 lead with 12:18 left in the 1st half. The Bison countered with several runs to get within 4, but the Rams fought through to take a 41-31 lead into halftime. The Rams enjoyed their biggest lead of 12 with 18:00 minutes left in the 2nd Half. Jalen DeLoach returned to the game with 15 minutes remaining, after being helped off the court in the 1st half. The Bison countered with a 7-0 run and was within 5 points. That was the closest the Bison got as the Rams had a 7-0 run & shut the door on the possibility of a comeback. The Rams finished with a 70-60 win.

Player of the Game: Brandon Johns Jr

16 Points, 7 Rebounds

By the Numbers 11: Points scored by Josh Banks (Career High) 12: Largest lead for the Rams 23: Points by Rams Bench 34:Amount of points in the Paint for the Rams

32:33: Amount of time the Rams lead in the Game 7,220: Total Attendance At The Podium After the conclusion of VCU's victory & we spoke with Coach Rhoades, Jalen DeLoach, Josh Banks, & Brandon Johns Jr . Here are a few sound bites from the post-game press conference:

What’s Next for the Rams The Rams (6-4) continue their homestand as they will face Radford on Wednesday, December 14th, Tip-off is at 7 PM.

Baldwin's Career night gives the Rams a 70-65 win over Vandy

FINAL SCORE: VCU 70 Vandy 65

Game Summary

Ace Baldwin Jr & Jamir Watkins return from Injury as the Rams hosted SEC foe Vanderbilt Commodores. Vanderbilt took an early 6-1 lead, The Rams countered back with a 6-0 run of their own to take an early lead. The 1st half saw 13 lead changes between the two. VCU ended the 1st half with a 7-point lead, leading 35-28. In the 2nd half, the Rams jumped on the Commodores early as they held an 11-point lead with 18:23 left in the game. The Commodores roared back to cut the lead to 3 (54-51) with 7:59 left in the game. Vanderbilt was assessed 3 technical fouls, including 2 technical fouls on Head Coach Jerry Stackhouse, which lead to his exit from the game. The absence of Stackhouse energized the commodores as they went on a 9-0 run to tie the game with 3:56 left in the game. The Rams countered by ending the game on a 9-4 run to defeat Vanderbilt 70-65.

Player of the Game:

Ace Baldwin JR 28 Points 4 Assists 3 Rebounds

By the Numbers

10: 10th consecutive home win for the Rams

15: Amount of lead changes

18: Points scored by the Ram's Bench

28: Total points scored by Ace Baldwin Jr (Career High)

7,117: Total attendance for the game

At The Podium

After the conclusion of VCU's victory & we spoke with Coach Rhoades, Ace Baldwin Jr, Jamir Watkins, and Brandon Johns Jr . Here are a few sound bites from the post-game press conference:

What’s Next for the Rams

The Rams (5-2) head north as they face Temple on December 3rd, Tip-off at 1 PM. The Rams return to the STU on December 7th vs Jacksonville, Tip-off at 7 PM.