CINCINNATI – Following a nearly hour-long delay, the Richmond Kickers garnered a stoppage-time goal to quiet a boisterous crowd of 11,278 as the Kickers and FC Cincinnati drew 1-1 on Saturday at Nippert Stadium. Cincinnati and Richmond actually kicked off on schedule, but just 20 seconds in, officials declared a delay with lightning in the area. Sean Okoli's early goal appeared to be the difference for Cincinnati, but Richmond pushed heavily in the final minutes as Hugh Roberts tallied in the fourth minute of stoppage time for the equalizer. Cincinnati moved to 6-2-3 (21 points) overall and 3-1-2 at home while Richmond is now 4-4-4 overall (16 points).

Scoring:
13’ – CIN – Sean Okoli
90 – RIC – Hugh Roberts (Brian Ownby)

Three Things That Mattered:

• 1. Hugh Roberts' first goal of the season was a massive one. Deep into stoppage time, Brian Ownby crossed the ball in from the far right side and Roberts redirected into the back of the net to steal a road point when it appeared Cincinnati was well on its way to a victory. Cincinnati allowed a goal for the first time since conceding a 17th-minute tally to the Harrisburg City Islanders during a 1-1 road draw on May 7.

• 2. Sean Okoli upped his team-leading goals total to five with a rebound when Charlie Horton could not corral a driven ball to the far left post. The ingenuity was really in Cincinnati’s quick thinking after a tripping foul. The host side caught Richmond off guard with the fast restart as Andrew Wiedeman played it quickly before the Kickers could get set up. Corben Bone drove a half cross/shot that was headed toward the far left post. When Horton could not maintain control, Okoli jumped at the chance and slotted it home with his right foot.

• 3. Nippert Stadium has been a massive testing ground for opposing goalkeepers. Horton’s side conceded the early goal, but he stepped up quite nicely in the second half to keep Cincinnati at bay for a long stretch. Jimmy McLaughlin looked to have found the right post in the 53rd minute, but Horton made a big diving save to his left. Horton made a key foot save on McLaughlin in the 67th minute.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Sean Okoli, FC Cincinnati - Okoli notched the early goal to put Cincinnati in a good position for a result and was involved in a couple additional sequences in which the host side could have added to its lead.

Upcoming Games:
June 11: Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Richmond Kickers; 5 p.m. ET, City Stadium
June 11: FC Montreal at FC Cincinnati; 7 p.m. ET, Nippert Stadium