Rhode Island FC Defeats Detroit City 1-0
The Koke Vegas effect
Rhode Island FC didn’t blink. Backed by a defiant performance from returning goalkeeper Koke Vegas and a cold-blooded penalty from Maxi Rodriguez, the Ocean State club held its nerve and beat Detroit City FC 1-0 at Centreville Bank Stadium on Wednesday night.
The win was Rhode Island’s first ever over Detroit, its fifth straight result at home in all competitions, and more importantly, pushed it above the playoff line in the Eastern Conference.
Detroit City came out swinging. Ates Diouf just missed on a free kick in the 23rd minute, curling his effort inches over the bar. 12 minutes later, Darren Smith carved open the RIFC back line with a clever run and clean first touch, but Vegas stood him up, dropping low and wide to slap away the shot in his first game back from injury.
Rhode Island took its time but found a rhythm. Three minutes after Vegas’ stop, Karifa Yao rose to meet Marc Ybarra’s curling free kick, only for his header to glance off a defender and over the bar. Off the resulting corner, Jojea Kwizera fired a rocket from outside the box that barely cleared the crossbar.
Vegas opened the second half like he closed the first, stone-faced and reliable. In the 54th minute, Diouf ripped through the midfield and let fly from the edge of the box. Vegas punched it away, setting the tone for what came next.
Six minutes later, Clay Holstad whipped a cross into the box. It caught a Detroit defender’s arm and snagged a penalty for the Tide. Rodriguez, just subbed on, walked to the spot without hesitation and buried it.
One-nil.
Vegas locked it down from there. He denied Diop from distance in the 68th with a diving save to his right — his third and final of the night — and RIFC saw the result out.
After a few dispiriting affairs, Rhode Island FC appears to finally have found some momentum. Hopefully, they’ll carry that momentum into the home match this weekend with Loudoun United. The two sides square off Saturday night at Centreville Bank Stadium, with kickoff set for 7 PM ET.