Rhode Island FC Draws Louisville City FC
The draw kings strike again
Rhode Island FC played a conflicting match under the beautiful afternoon sun in as they held visiting Louisville City FC to their first scoreless match this season, earning a draw on the back of perhaps their most complete defensive performance to date. But at the same time, they failed to convert the game’s most clear-cut chance, and in doing so continued their abysmal home scoring record; having scored only four times in six home matches so far.
RIFC fans will have walked away from today’s performance with decidedly mixed feelings. Is this another sign that the team is beginning to pull it together or the latest in a series of matches that have displayed Rhode Island’s startling ability to play exactly to the level of the side they’re facing?
Rhode Island FC’s fourth shutout of the season opened with the club playing well against the second-best team in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference. The Tide controlled the ball and made several threatening forays into Louisville’s box during the opening minutes of the first half.
A corner kick from Jack Panoyotou found striker JJ Williams – making his first ever start for the club – and he nodded it just wide of the left post in the 13th minute. A better chance came only ten minutes later as RIFC midfielder Clay Holstad stripped a Louisville City defender and got the ball to striker Albert Dikwa, who teed up winger Noah Fuson.
Fuson strolled up to the ball and banged it off the left post from close range in a one-on-one with Louisville City FC goalkeeper Damian Las that Fuson really should have scored. Rhode Island FC didn’t manage to get another good chance in the rest of the first half. However, they also valiantly held the league-scoring leaders off.
The second half began with Louisville dominating the run of play and pinning Rhode Island FC in its own half for but Rhode Island FC’s defenders – especially man-of-the-match Frank Nodarse who completed 90% of his passes and goalkeeper Koke Vegas who made three key saves – held stout to deny Louisville, who was held scoreless for the first time since September 30th, 2023.
Rhode Island FC have held the Eastern Conference’s best teams to scoreless draws — their first being against the Charlotte Battery on April 6th – but they’ve also failed to score against them even with the league’s reigning Golden Boot winner Dikwa on their side. “Chico” has only scored three times in ten matches so far this season.
Khano Smith will need to do something to get this team scoring before they travel next Saturday, June 1st, to play their first-ever rivalry match against Hartford Athletic in the Rhode Trip derby. The Athletic snapped a six-match skid of their own on Friday and Rhode Island fans will be holding their breath until next weekend, hoping that the team can overcome its scoring woes before what is sure to be one of the USL Championship’s most heated local rivalries.
They always play to the level of their opponents— I hope they can pull it together before Hartford.