Rhode Island FC Suffers First Defeat
Rhode Island FC Suffers First Defeat
It was a rough night for RIFC
Rhode Island FC fans will have looked on in utter dismay as their side fell apart in the second half on the way to a humiliating 4-1 loss to the Tampa Bay Rowdies. RIFC ended their first away stretch in ignominious fashion as after three matches they continue to be in search of their first victory.
The first half looked promising as RIFC had multiple quality chances to score in the opening minutes before Albert “Chico” Dikwa rounded the Tampa Bay goalkeeper to put away his third goal of the season in the 16th minute on an incredible assist launched by goalkeeper Jackson Lee, who was making the first start of his professional career in relief of RIFC’s first signing, goalkeeper Koke Vegas.
Lee showed great distribution but ultimately had the lion’s share of responsibility for Tampa Bay’s four second-half goals. Indeed, he got lucky even in the first half, as a chip barely glanced off the crossbar instead of into the net.
Outside of the defensive woes, RIFC’s front three continued to look extremely threatening as they had several good chances to increase the lead against Tampa Bay but the ball just did not bounce their way often enough.
After Dikwa’s goal, Tampa Bay seemed to come alive. RIFC’s chances dried up and much of the rest of the game was spent in Rhode Island’s own half. Under the circumstances it was all but inevitable that Lee would concede to the relentless Tampa Bay pressure and concede he did to Manuel Artega in the 54th minute, Cal Jennings in the 67th, Jordan Doherty in the 72nd, and finally Damian Rivera in the 96th. Each goal drove nail after nail into Rhode Island FC’s proverbial coffin and the match seemed well and truly over well before Rivera added insult to injury with Tampa Bay’s final goal deep into stoppage time.
Ultimately, Rhode Island FC was solidly outperformed in almost every area of the pitch. They were outshot 16-9, registered fewer shots-on-target, fouled more, and garnered six fewer corners than their competition. They did however, out-possess their opponents, and completed more passes.
Khano Smith will certainly be pushing his side to play better next week and fans will hope that Rhode Island FC will be out for revenge when they next play the Tampa Bay Rowdies in Smithfield, Rhode Island come October 5th.
Rhode Island FC will look to turn it around next week as they return home to Smithfield, Rhode Island to play the Charleston Battery at 7:30pm on Saturday, April 6th. RIFC fans can watch the game live at Beirne Stadium, streaming via ESPN+, or on television on NESN.