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Saint Louis Slips by Kickers

By USLSoccer.com Staff, 07/29/17, 9:09PM EDT

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Emmanuel Appiah notches lone goal of game in debut


Photo courtesy Pattie Anderson / Richmond Kickers

RICHMOND, Va. – Saint Louis FC grabbed an important win in its push to reach the USL Cup Playoffs as it defeated the Richmond Kickers 1-0 on Saturday night at City Stadium. Mallan Roberts had an opportunity in the sixth minute to notch the first tally of the game when he finessed around Saint Louis FC keeper Adam Grinwis, but had his shot blocked by a sliding Tony Walls at the near post. Saint Louis had a chance of their own in the 25th minutes as Ryan Howe sent a ball across the goal line to the foot of Octavio Guzman, who pushed the shot wide of the far post. Milan Petosevic threatened with a powerful volley in the 43rd minute but keeper Matt Turner dove athletically to his right to push the attempt wide. Saint Louis took the lead immediately in the second half when Guzman sent in a corner kick to the foot of Emmanuel Appiah and the newcomer volleyed it to the back of the net. Richmond fought back with a scoring chance 11 minutes into the second half, but Grinwis and Konrad Plewa collided to collectively deny the close try from Luiz Fernando. Richmond’s last chance to equalize was a long ball from Fred Owusu Sekyere, but Grinwis once again came out to snuff out any opening. Saint Louis FC improves to 6-8-4 (22 points) on the season while the Richmond Kickers fall to 3-11-7 (16 points).

Scoring:
46’ – STL – Emmanuel Appiah (Octavio Guzman)

#RICvSTL: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

  • 1. Former Swope Park midfielder Emmanuel Appiah made his debut for Saint Louis and added a new dimension for the visitors’ attack. He was seemingly always in the right place at the right time to set up teammates or take shots of his own. Appiah was originally drafted in the 2016 MLS SuperDraft by the Colorado Rapids but finished the season with Swope Park.
     
  • 2.  Fatigue seemed to be an issue as the Richmond Kickers entered the second half. The Kickers won the possession battle, holding the ball for 54 percent of the game. The first half Richmond played aggressively and threatened several times but were not able to crack through Adam Grinwis and the Saint Louis defense. This was Richmond’s third game in the last seven days, which certainly played a factor for the club at home. The Kickers now have a week off until they visit Pittsburgh.
     
  • 3. Saint Louis FC grabbed a second road win of the season with this strong performance at Richmond. The club started the season off well but fell into a rough patch and has dropped in the East standings. With this important victory, STL will look to string together victories. This will prove challenging as the next few games are against Swope Park, Tulsa and Tampa Bay. This point in the season may be a turning point for Saint Louis to earn consecutive wins and fight back into the playoff picture.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Emmanuel Appiah, Saint Louis FC –
The newcomer was active on the attack for Saint Louis, recording four shots and the game winner for the visitors.

Upcoming Games:

Richmond Kickers at Pittsburgh Riverhounds – August 5, 7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium
Saint Louis FC vs. Swope Park Rangers – August 5, 8:30 p.m. ET, Toyota Stadium – Saint Louis

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