Written By: Ryan Flynn
Two second half goals, capped off by Emiliano Terzaghi’s 85th minute rebound from a penalty kick, propelled Sarasota Paradise to a 3-2 victory over Richmond Kickers on Saturday night, keeping their playoff hopes alive at Premier Sports Campus.
Sarasota had a chance in the 16th minute, when Romain Gall received a pass from Anderson Rosa and laid it off to Jonathan Bolanos, who narrowly missed left of goal, keeping the game scoreless.
Richmond would be on the board first in the 23rd minute, capitalizing off a misplayed pass from Alex Sutton to Declan Watters, that Lucca Dourado buried past Sutton to give the visitors a 1-0 advantage.
Dourado would help increase the Kickers lead five minutes later, finding Austin Amer just outside the Sarasota box. Receiving the ball at the top of the box, Amer hit the ball first time, curling it into the top left corner to put Richmond up 2-0 before the half-hour mark.
Sarasota would cut the deficit in half in the 35th minute, courtesy of Kisa Kiingi. Ethan Bryant swung a right-footed corner kick towards the back post that Kisa Kiingi headed past Richmond keeper James Sneddon to put Paradise on the board and elicit a roar from the home fans. A perfectly executed corner routine led to Paradise’s first goal of the night and Kiingi’s second on the year.
Head Coach Mika Elovaara would make a change at halftime, with Emiliano Terzaghi replacing Andres Rodriguez, to help materialize a comeback in the game.
That comeback started with the equalizer in the 53rd minute. Paradise worked the ball up from their own half. Taking the ball just past the halfway line, Anderson Rosa spotted an open Romain Gall, launching a long ball his way. After taking the ball past one defender, Gall’s first shot deflected off another before he hammered a low shot into the bottom left corner past Sneddon to equalize for the home side and ignite the home fans.
Sutton would make another massive save in the 75th minute, tracking Daniel Moore’s cross to Lucca Dourado and diving to his right to deny the Richmond striker a second goal on the day and keep the game level.
After Emiliano Terzaghi won a free kick just outside the Richmond 18 yard box three minutes later, Anderson Rosa’s shot would be denied by Sneddon on a fingertip save, keeping the game level.
Paradise would get the game winner in the 85th minute, being awarded a penalty after Ethan Bryant’s corner kick was loose in the box, after a Richmond player was judged to have handled the ball with his hand. Stepping up to the spot with calmness and a sense of poise, Terzaghi would have his initial shot blocked but follow up the rebound with a shot past the keeper and into the wide-open net, giving the Paradise a 3-2 lead and getting the loudest roar of the day from the home faithful.
The Paradise defense would shine in the final ten minutes of the game, denying the Kickers on multiple occasions as the visitors were pushing for an equalizer. Each time the Kickers advanced into Paradise territory, they were turned away by a stingy back line, preserving the Paradise lead.
Richmond nearly tied it on the final kick of the game from Matt Bolduc, but the ball rolled just wide of the goal and the final whistle sounded, cementing Paradise’s exciting comeback and keeping their playoff hopes alive.
STATS TO KNOW
- Romain Gall: 0.52 xG, 0.3 xT, creative outlet with goal involvement.
- Ethan Bryant: 4 shot assists, facilitating attacking moves.
QUOTES
“There was a composure, an urgency, coming out in that second half. Great fight at the end, holding on. It’s a good victory going forward.” – Kisa Kingii
“We were down very early and down by two, so we had to find a lot of character to come back and win this game. So in the end, we did it, we got the three points. I think it showed how deep we dug as a team to get this win, [and] that’s super important for us going forward.” – Romain Gall
“We’ve talked a lot about growth and growth is one of our core values as a club. I think that it’s showing growth within our group that guys came back from behind and got the three points. Very proud of the way we went after it, especially in the second half. We started to control the game more in and out of possession and eventually got the score.” – Head Coach Mika Elovaara
UP NEXT
The Paradise continue their push for the playoffs with their final road game of the season, traveling to take on Fort Wayne FC on Saturday, October 17. The game is at 7:30 PM and can be streamed on ESPN+.