The Richmond Kickers (2-2-0, 6 points) fell 2-1 to Forward Madison (1-1-0, 3 points) in a hard-fought first leg of the Henny Derby on Saturday.

The Henny Derby, a rivalry born from the supporter groups of both clubs, features two of the league’s most passionate fan bases.

Richmond created the first major scoring opportunity in the eighth minute when Matt Bolduc broke free on the right side, weaving past defenders before losing center back Jake Crull entirely. Bolduc fired a shot, but Madison goalkeeper Wallis Lapsley got a hand to it to make the save.

The Kickers nearly found the net again in the 20th minute. Maxi Schenfeld delivered a well-placed corner kick to the far post, where a teammate redirected the ball, but it struck the post and bounced out.

Madison responded with a flurry of chances in a five-minute span. With only one defender back, Devin Boyce drove at Kickers goalkeeper Will Sneddon, but the 19-year-old stood tall to deny the attempt. Sneddon then collected a corner kick and a free kick moments later to keep the match scoreless.

The Kickers countered off Sneddon’s punt, leading to another corner kick. Nils Seufert sent in the delivery, and Klaidi Cela connected with a header, but the attempt sailed just over the crossbar. Madison broke through in the 40th minute when a loose ball in the box led to multiple saves from Sneddon before Derek Gebhard capitalized on the rebound to put the visitors ahead 1-0.

Richmond came out aggressive after halftime, with Darwin Espinal firing a low shot in the 46th minute that had Lapsley off-balance before deflecting off a Madison defender for a corner.

Madison extended its lead in transition, but the Kickers answered quickly. Off the restart, Richmond captain Dakota Barnathan won a 50/50 ball at midfield and sent it to Espinal, who sprinted up the left wing.

Espinal cut inside at the top of the box and unleashed a powerful strike into the top corner to pull the Kickers within one. Richmond pressed for an equalizer, but Madison slowed the pace and held on for the 2-1 victory. Sneddon finished with four saves on the night.