Pannholzer Scores, Fillion Stars as Kickers Fall 2-1 to League-leading Charlotte

By Ford Prior · September 23, 2026 · 3 min read read

Category: Sports

The Richmond Kickers lost 2-1 to league-leaders Charlotte, with Tarik Pannholzer scoring and Yann-Alexandre Fillion making key saves.

Tarik Pannholzer scored his fifth goal of the season and goalkeeper Yann-Alexandre Fillion kept Richmond in it to the final whistle, but the Richmond Kickers fell 2-1 to the Charlotte Independence on Saturday at City Stadium.

A crowd of 3,954 turned out for the club's Hispanic Heritage Night, presented by the Virginia Hispanic Chamber, with pre-match and halftime performances from Salsa Guy Richmond and Tradición Dance Company.

Charlotte went ahead early when a Jon Bakero corner kick deflected in off Richmond midfielder Owen O'Malley. The Kickers answered within minutes. O'Malley found Pannholzer at the top of the box, and Pannholzer finished into the bottom left corner to make it 1-1. The goal was Pannholzer's third goal contribution in two matches.

Fillion made the difference over the next half hour. He charged off his line to stop a Charlotte two-on-zero breakaway in the 27th minute. Ten minutes later, Charlotte forward Souaibou Marou beat him to a long ball but missed the open net from 25 yards.

Charlotte retook the lead in the 42nd minute, when Bakero set up outside back Joey Skinner for a left-footed finish. The assist was Bakero's 23rd in USL League One, tying the league's career record. Richmond's Tyler Freeman cleared a Marou header off the goal line on the final play of the half to keep the deficit at one.

Interim head coach Brian Ownby pushed for an equalizer in the second half, bringing on Matt Bolduc at halftime and Lucca Dourado and Zahir Vazquez in the 74th minute. Fillion pushed a 20-yard shot from Jefferson Amaya onto the crossbar in the 85th minute. At the other end, Vazquez nearly redirected a Daniel Moore pass into the net in the 88th, but Charlotte goalkeeper Matt Levy made the stop.

Charlotte finished with 60% of possession and outshot Richmond 20-7. Fillion now has 90 saves this season, second in the league. O'Malley won five tackles.

After the match, Ownby said he wants to see "a group that goes out there and leaves it all on the field" for the rest of the season.

The result leaves Richmond at the bottom of the USL League One table with 20 points, 16 of them earned at City Stadium. Charlotte, which has scored a league-record-tying 61 goals this season, has now beaten Richmond seven straight times.

The Kickers travel to face New York at Hinchliffe Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 26, at 7 p.m.

The author, Ford Prior, poses for a photo with performers at Hispanic Heritage Night. Photo courtesy of PeruFest RVA.