The Richmond Kickers moved above the playoff line in USL League One on Saturday night as a 3-0 victory against Lexington SC before 5,067 fans at City Stadium lifted the side ahead of South Georgia Tormenta FC into eighth place in the standings.

Here are three takeaways we took from the Kickers’ third consecutive victory in all competitions as the 2022 League One Players’ Shield winner continued their recent surge in form.

1. CHANDLER O’DWYER’S NEAR-POST THREAT

The Kickers put together an impressive first half performance, controlling territory and possession, but aside from a João Gomiero strike from distance that Lexington goalkeeper Amal Knight tipped onto the crossbar, the hosts were unable to create a clear-cut chance inside the penalty area.

Ten minutes into the second half, that changed, and it came from a familiar source. Gomiero set up an in-swinging from the left, and picked out Chandler O’Dwyer at the near post for the English forward to hold off his defender and hook home a finish into the far corner. That combination has become a familiar one – O’Dwyer headed in another Gomiero feed to open the scoring in the side’s 3-2 win against Spokane Velocity FC that opened its current winning streak – and the English forward has now scored three of his five goals this season on near-post corner kick deliveries.

“I feel like that front post area is a cheat code,” said O’Dwyer. “I don’t think teams really understand how dangerous it is, you know. So, if one of our guys – Nil [Vinyals], João, whoever it is – puts the ball in there, I would like to think that's one of my specialties. I think I've showed that multiple times this season and last season.”

The threat of near-post corner kicks is clear, but that doesn’t make them any easier to defend. The chemistry the Kickers have on their timing and deliveries is a clear plus to their postseason hopes.

2. BUILDING A DEFENSIVE BARRIER

If the Kickers didn’t create much in the way of clear-cut chances in the first half, it proved an ongoing struggle for a Lexington side coming off a seven-goal romp in midweek against Central Valley Fuego FC. The visitors only recorded one shot in the first half and didn’t officially record a shot on target until the 90th minute, by which point Richmond had the game well in hand.

Part of that was due to the Kickers’ control of possession and territory. Overall, only 21.8 percent of the game was played in Richmond’s defensive third, and that number was lifted by a strong spell of late pressure by the visitors as they sought to get back into the game before Nil Vinyals celebrated his 29th birthday with an 88th-minute strike.

On top of that, however, the Kickers’ back line kept the Lexington attack at arm’s length. Leading scorer Cameron Lancaster recorded two shots on the night – both from outside the penalty area – as 17-year-old center back Griffin Garnett put in a strong shift to limit his and Nico Brown’s looks at goal. Add 18-year-old James Sneddon holding firm with three late saves to earn a second consecutive shutout and the Kickers’ youngsters had a stellar night.

“Griffin Garnett was the guy marking Camera Lancaster,” said Kickers Head Coach Darren Sawatzky. “In a shutout, James has grown exponentially. We’re really proud. You know, if you’re good enough, you’re old enough, and they proved it again tonight. That’s what we do here, that’s where we’re headed, and we’re proud of them.”

3. KEY FINAL HOME STRETCH

It’s no secret the Kickers had struggled for most of the season at City Stadium. The side’s USL Jagermeister Cup win against Spokane that began this streak notwithstanding, this was the side’s first league win before its home fans since a 2-1 victory against Forward Madison FC on July 3.

But the current run of form – which included a notable upset on the road last week against the Charlotte Independence – has put the side in a frame of mind ideal for the path ahead to the playoffs.

“I think every single player in this team was like, ‘we’re winning this game,’” said O’Dwyer. “And even the confidence of thinking, ‘I don’t think we’re going to concede any goals today,’ which is massive. I think for the thing for us right now is confidence. We’re feeling confident. Just keep doing what we’ve been doing, we’ve got four more games, get into the playoffs, see what happens.”

The most important game for the Kickers in that stretch will be its trip to South Georgia Tormenta FC on October 12, with Tormenta level on points with Richmond but trailing on the total wins tiebreaker in the standings after its 3-3 draw with the Independence on Saturday night.

The other three games, however, will be at City Stadium, and while two of those are against Union Omaha and the Independence – both in the top three in the standings – the atmosphere at home could be a difference-maker. If the side gets to the final game of the season against Charlotte in position to clinch, there’s a belief the crowd can help carry them over the line.

“I said this last year when I scored my first goal at City Stadium, it’s just a different feeling,” said Gomiero. “It’s just so special. There’s an energy in this place that's like just, it's hard to define. Today, my mom got here from Brazil, so as soon as I scored my I had a tunnel vision just to go towards her and give her a hug, because she’s everything to me.”