RICHMOND, Va. – Hadji Barry tallied his fifth goal of the season Saturday, providing the difference for visiting Orlando City B in a 1-0 victory over the Richmond Kickers at City Stadium. The goal came in the 24th minute when 2017 USL 20 Under 20 headliner Pierre Da Silva flashed his skill in working an opportunity on the left wing, delivering a ball that deflected its way to the feet of Barry who did well to keep his shot inside the far post for the decisive tally. Despite being reduced to 10 men when Zach Carroll was issued a second yellow card in stoppage time, Orlando extended its unbeaten run to eight games – breaking a string of six consecutive draws and improving to 6-6-10 overall (28pts) and 5-4-3 on the road in the process. After dropping the opener of a three game homestand, Richmond now stands at 3-12-8 (17pts) overall and 3-6-3 at home.

Scoring:
24’ – ORL – Hadji Barry
 

• #RICvORL: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. The victory continues an impressive run of form for an Orlando City B team that will return home to host Ottawa Fury FC on Wednesday, looking to string together consecutive victories for the first time this season. Anthony Pulis’ side remains firmly in contention for a second straight playoff appearance, largely due to its ability to find points on the road as OCB did Saturday in Richmond – joining frontrunners Louisville City FC and the Charlotte Independence as the only Eastern Conference squads with as many as five road victories to this point in the year. Orlando’s 18 points away from home are tied for the fourth-most leaguewide, but OCB will need to find a way for its strong play to translate to more results at home where the side will play five of its final seven games but has not won since a 3-1 result against Toronto FC II on April 4.  
   
• 2. While Orlando has often been left searching for the final touch needed to turn one point into three in 2017, Saturday’s clean sheet was a representative performance from what has been one of the top defensive sides in the East. While he was asked to make just one stop against the Kickers, Earl Edwards Jr. now sits just one shutout behind league-leaders Diego Restrepo (San Antonio FC) and Tomas Gomez (Rochester Rhinos) with seven on the season. OCB has now allowed just four goals during its current eight-game unbeaten run – three of which came across two matchups with FC Cincinnati – and ranks among the top six teams overall with 21 goals conceded in 22 contests.
   
• 3. Though unable to find the back of the net, Richmond did not go quietly, out-shooting the visitors, 10-2, in the second half after totaling two attempts in the first 45 minutes. Franck Tayou nearly found himself with a clear opportunity at the back post off a corner in the 76th minute but the comeback effort ultimately fell short, as the Kickers were shutout for the third time in four games since a come-from-behind 3-2 victory over Bethlehem on July 22. Barry’s strike marked the 14th time in 23 outings this season that Richmond has allowed its opponent to get on the board first, posting a 1-12-1 record in those games. Conversely, Leigh Cowlishaw’s side is unbeaten in six games in which it has opened the scoring on the campaign (2-0-4).  

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Seb Hines, Orlando City B – The veteran Englishman bossed the back line impressively for a stout OCB defense, helping stamp out a number of attacking efforts while completing 30 of his 37 passes (81.1 percent) 

Upcoming Games:
Richmond Kickers vs. Toronto FC II – August 19, 7 p.m. ET, City Stadium
Orlando City B vs. Ottawa Fury FC – August 16, 7:30 p.m. ET, Orlando City Stadium