The Richmond Kickers ended their USL League One season on a high note Saturday night, defeating Forward Madison 5-1 in the third and final leg of the Henny Derby at City Stadium.

Richmond (8-17-5, 29 points) got off to an aggressive start as Adrian Billhardt tested Madison’s defense early with two close chances in the first 20 minutes. His first shot in the 10th minute sailed just over the crossbar, and his second went just wide after breaking through on a counterattack. 

Madison (8-11-11, 35 points) took the lead in the 23rd minute, but the Kickers quickly regained control. Goalkeeper James Sneddon exited with an injury in the 33rd minute, replaced by veteran Pablo Jara, who would go on to make key saves. 

In the 36th minute, Simon Fitch sent the ball across the box to Nils Seufert, who beat a defender and curled a shot into the back of the net to level the score. Two minutes later, Emiliano Terzaghi followed up his own blocked shot to give the Kickers a 2-1 lead, with Billhardt credited for the assist. 

The momentum carried into stoppage time, when Billhardt’s corner kick found Marcelo Lage, who headed it home to extend the lead to 3-1 at halftime. 

Jara protected the advantage with a diving save on a Madison penalty in the 50th minute, keeping the home crowd energized. 

In the 63rd minute, Darwin Espinal found Billhardt on the right side of the box, and the forward buried his third goal of the season to make it 4-1. Eight minutes later, Fitch and Seufert combined again, with Seufert scoring his second of the night to cap off Richmond’s five-goal outburst. 

The win earned the Kickers bragging rights in the Henny Derby and closed out a difficult season with a dominant performance in front of their fans.