Rhode Island FC Suffers Third Scoreless Draw This Season
Rhode Island FC Suffers Third Scoreless Draw This Season
Scoreless in Cary
Coming off their first-ever home loss against the USL Championship reigning champions Phoenix Rising FC, Rhode Island FC came out looking to snatch all three points from North Carolina FC. North Carolina FC are also reigning champions, having won the USL League One championship last year before moving back up a tier to the USL Championship this season.
This certainly looked to be an even match on paper as both sides sit at the bottom of the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference table with Rhode Island FC in 10th place (eight points through eight matches) and North Carolina FC in 12th place (seven points through nine matches).
The first half got off to a good start for RIFC, as they dominated possession in the opening minutes but they failed to turn that dominance into meaningful chances. RIFC midfielder Clay Holstad received a yellow card in the 32nd minute as did RIFC defender Frank Nodarse in the 40th minute. The club continues to be plagued by disciplinary issues as they are eighth in the league in yellow cards and fifth in the league in red cards.
Further, they are failing to score averaging less than one goal scored per match, as is North Carolina FC, and the clubs went into the half with the score 0-0 as a result. However, North Carolina FC outshot RIFC in the first half with five shots and one on target to Rhode Island’s three shots and one on target.
Rhode Island FC fans hoping to see the team bounce back against a bottom-table side coming from a lower-level league will certainly be disappointed with the team’s performance in the first half which saw a lot of possession fail to be converted into meaningful chances and a back line that could not prevent counter-attacks from threatening Koke Vegas who made a good save to keep the score even going into halftime.
The story of the second half was much the same, as Rhode Island FC continued to be unable to create meaningful chances, much less to convert them. Albert “Chico” Dikwa, the club’s premier signing and leading goalscorer was sorely missed tonight as RIFC notched only two shots throughout the entire second half (one on target) for a total of five on the night.
North Carolina FC on the other hand managed three shots in the second half, including one on target, and generally looked much more threatening with great defensive plays by Stephen Turnbull, Vegas, and Providence, Rhode Island native and new signing Isaac Angking maintaining the scoreline.
Ultimately, Rhode Island FC played solid in defense and anemically in attack, earning their third scoreless draw on the season and their first in an away match. More than one-third of Rhode Island FC’s inaugural season to date has ended in scoreless draws.
Rhode Island FC fans will be able to catch the team back in action on Saturday, May 11th at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, Rhode Island as they take on the Western Conference’s Sacramento Republic FC at 7:30 pm.