RICHMOND, Va. — Richmond Ivy (6-5-1, 19 pts) fell 2-4 in their regular-season finale to Mid-Atlantic Division-leading Lancaster Inferno FC (11-9-1, 28 pts), Friday night, at City Stadium.
On Fan Appreciation Night, the Ivy hosted 5,841 supporters which marked their second-highest attendance of the season behind the 6,000 capacity sellout in the home opener. In their first season, the Ivy hosted 28,866 total fans at City Stadium and averaged 4,811 fans per match.
Spurred on by the home support, the Ivy started on the front foot.
In the 11th minute, Kanna Matsuhisa drove up the left side who played a one-two with Taylor Berry before crossing the ball toward Madie Vincent which forced the Lancaster keeper to come off her line and stop the opportunity.
One minute later, the Ivy was back in the box, this time finding the feet of Sarah Flammia who sent one on frame but the keeper was able to make a fingertip save. Twice in the ensuing minutes, Flammia would send a ball through for Vincent that bounced just out of her reach to the keeper.
Inferno struck first in the 17th minute. Following a punch-out clearance from Camryn Miller on an Inferno corner. However, the ball cycled back into the box where Inferno would find enough space to get a shot off that found the back of the net.
The Ivy were quick to answer though and found a goal in the 20th minute off a broken down corner.
After a successful clearance press from Flammia and Kenley Campbell, Matsuhisa dribbled through the middle and sent a through ball to Vincent. The forward took two touches towards the end line before squaring the ball back to her CNU teammate, Hanna Heaton, who one-timed the ball into the bottom corner.
In the 27th minute, Taylor Berry found Matsuhisa sitting on the Inferno backline. With the ball, Matsuhisa drove towards the keeper and tried to chip it over her head but she got a hand to it and kept it out.
The duo from CNU attempted to strike again in the 35th. Heaton chased after a through ball and controlled it to send it in for an in-running Vincent but it skimmed just past her head and towards the far sideline.
The Inferno would score again off the throw-in to take the lead in the 40th minute.
In first-half stoppage time, Heaton nearly leveled the scoreline with a pacey strike that rattled the post and bounced off the keeper but she would stifle the deflection before it crossed the line.
The Ivy would come out swinging in the second half, and in the 47th, Berry would take a beautiful shot from the top left of the box that the keeper got in position for in the very last second.
In spite of the consistent attack from the Ivy, the Inferno were able to score two more in the second. The Ivy wouldn’t let up though, in the 62nd minute, Matsuhisa would break through the line again and send a curling shot in but one more time, their goalkeeper would step in the way.
Lauren Hargrove entered the match late for the Ivy and came out on a corner in the 76th minute to snag the ball out of the air, shutting down any attempt at a goal in that moment. On the build from that, Heaton sent a gorgeous ball up the right side to second-half sub Maci Landel who forced a corner but the keeper made a save on the ball in and stopped the attempt.
In the 79th, Ivy’s persistent knocking on the door paid off as Matsuhisa delivered an inswinging corner that careened towards the net and Kendyl Sarver made sure the ball found the back of it. Sarver gained position in front of her defensive marker and lept into the six-yard box to get a foot on the ball and redirect it past the keeper.
The Ivy continued to press in hopes of closing the gap with the visitors but after roughly three minutes of second-half stoppage time, the head official’s whistle would ring across the pitch for the final time in 2024.
The staff and players spent the next 25 minutes thanking fans who pushed toward the edges of the seating bowl to meet the Ivy.
“They’re all what this is all about, the young girls, young fans and young soccer players who can look up to this team and see themselves on the pitch,” Richmond Ivy Sporting Director Madeline McCracken said.
