Richmond Kickers held off a late AV ALTA FC rally to claim a 3–2 victory in USL League One on Saturday. Tyler Freeman, Joshua Kirkland, and Matthew Bolduc all found the net for the hosts, while Jimmie Villalobos and Joaquin Acuna replied for AV ALTA.

Freeman opened the scoring in the 22nd minute, giving Richmond a lead they carried into halftime. AV ALTA, though, responded quickly after the break. Villalobos leveled things just three minutes into the second half, finishing off a pass from Adam Aoumaich to make it 1–1.

What followed was a scrappy, ill-tempered stretch. The referee reached for his pocket repeatedly as both sides traded fouls, with five yellows shown between the 50th and 74th minutes alone.

Richmond broke the deadlock in emphatic fashion. Kirkland restored the lead in the 75th minute, converting from a Matthew Bolduc delivery. Four minutes later, Bolduc got on the scoresheet himself, latching onto a ball from Darwin Espinal to make it 3–1. The quick-fire double appeared to put the match out of reach.

AV ALTA had other ideas. Acuna pulled one back in the 87th minute to set up a nervy finish. Richmond, already carrying multiple bookings, had to manage the closing stages carefully — Kirkland picked up a yellow in the 85th minute, meaning any further misstep could have left the Kickers a man short. They held firm, however, seeing out the final minutes without further damage.

The win gives Richmond three valuable points as the League One season enters its final stretch.