RICHMOND, Va. – The Richmond Kickers today announced the signing of goalkeeper Ryan Shellow, pending league and federation approval.

Shellow joins the Kickers after a standout weekend at the club's Jan. 2024 Pro Combine. He prepares for his fourth professional season following two seasons at USL Championship side Detroit City FC in 2022-23 and a rookie season at former USL League One side FC Tucson.

The Miami, Fla. native is a quick, aggressive 'keeper who is comfortable providing a vocal presence for the backline. During his two seasons in Detroit, Shellow worked alongside Le Rouge's all-league caliber goalkeeper Nathan Steinwascher who was a 2023 USL Championship Goalkeeper of the Year nominee. 

Shellow earned his first professional start in Sept. 2022 when he was called upon to take charge between the pipes at Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. He made three key saves and commanded the defense who kept the goal area clean for 92 minutes despite the hosts taking 18 shots. DCFC went on to win the match 2-1 and Shellow was named man of the match on his debut.

He began his professional career at FC Tucson when the club made the 2021 USL League One Playoff semifinals. He trained alongside Kickers' veteran defender Dakota Barnathan as well as Maxi Schenfeld who signed with the Kickers in Jan. 2024

Prior to beginning his professional career, Shellow enjoyed a successful collegiate career with the Cornell University men's soccer team. He currently ranks third all-time with 21 goalkeeper wins and tied for third in single-season goalkeeper wins with 11 earned during his junior year in 2018.

He made an impact early with Big Red, starting in goal the final 13 matches of his freshman season and posting a league-high 71 saves. Against No. 2 Syracuse, he recorded 13 saves which set a new program record for most saves in a match.

"When talking with Darren I really liked the way he spoke about the team and the culture here at Richmond," Shellow said. "I was convinced by the way he spoke about how he expects the team to compete every day and how he lets that transfer into the weekends. My first impression of Richmond is that this seems like a great place to be. It's been great meeting everyone in the club, and I’ve heard that Darren and the staff have done a great job of not only bringing in excellent players, but a great group of people."

"We revamped a goalkeeping department this offseason and were looking for quality goalkeepers to compete day in and day out," Darren Sawatzky, Richmond Head Coach and Chief Sporting Officer said. "Ryan has good experience in both the USL Championship and in USL League One. We know he is looking for an opportunity to compete for game minutes and this preseason will give him games to show his impact. It is important for our club to have quality character people as well as good players, and Ryan fits into our group nicely. With a new goalkeeper coach in Evan Munn and two experienced pro goalkeepers in Pablo and Ryan, we believe we have the start of an exceptional group between the pipes for 2024."