Rhode Island FC Wins First-Ever Playoff Match
Stephen Turnbull's Late Injury Leads To Frantic Final Minutes
Sunday’s match against Indy XI marked Rhode Island FC’s first-ever playoff match. It came after Rhode Island ended its first USL Championship season having gone six matches without a loss, and having just notched not just the largest-ever win in club history, but the largest win of the entire USL Championship season.
However, RIFC were also facing an Indy XI team that had beaten them in their last match – which, like this one, was being played away – and which they had only drawn in their match prior to that one. In short, RIFC came into this match with a lot going for it and a lot of pressure.
Rhode Island FC started the match off very confidently. After a handball in the box by Indy midfielder Bren Soumaoro in the 18th minute, RIFC striker JJ Williams blasted home the resulting penalty. It was Williams fourth goal in just the last two matches and it gave Rhode Island its first-ever playoff goal and first-ever playoff lead.
The Tide continued to dominate possession, but this was a match where it was hard to get an uninterrupted stretch of play without a foul. The referee called a total of 38 fouls over the match, 21 against RIFC and 17 against Indy XI.
Indy struck back in the 35th minute, as a corner cleared by RIFC fell to the feet of defender Aodhan Quinn outside the 18 yard box. Quinn volleyed it and the shot took a fortuitous bounce off of an RIFC defender before beating goalkeeper Koke Vegas.
Rhode Island struck back in short order, however, as midfielder Zachary Herivaux found wingback Jojea Kwizera running open down the left-hand side of the pitch. Kwizera sent a cross into the six yard box with his first touch and that cross found winger Noah Fuson who passed to the feet of Williams, who saw his first shot deflected. The deflection landed back at his feet, and he fired his second shot beyond Indy goalkeeper Hunter Solte to give Rhode Island FC its second lead of the night and Williams his second brace in as many matches.
RIFC took that lead into the half, having dominated possession and having enjoyed much of the momentum. They looked every bit the team that had dominated Miami FC 8-1.
That was also how Rhode Island FC came out after the half-time break. RIFC picked back up right where they had left off, dominating Indy. It was only moments before the Tide scored again.
Herivaux once again found Kwizera running open down the left side and Kwizera again first-timed a cross in, this time finding the head of a leaping Williams who blasted a header past Sulte to give RIFC the 3-1 lead and Williams his second hat-trick of the season. Nearly half of his 16 goal involvements this season have come over the last eight days alone. The goal, however, also completely changed the tenor of the game.
Having gained a two-goal lead, Rhode Island FC appeared content to sit back and defend that lead. Indy XI took severe advantage of that tactical decision and they piled on the pressure. RIFC went into the half with a 60-40 possession advantage, but ended it with only a 52-48 advantage.
That pressure paid dividends in the 76th minute, as Indy’s goalscorer Quinn found striker Douglas Martinez with a cross, and Martinez nodded a header past a frozen Vegas to reduce the difference down to just one goal in favor of Rhode Island.
Things got worse moments later, as RIFC defender Stephen Turnbull was subbed in in the 83rd minute, using RIFC’s final substitution window. Right after he was subbed on, he fell to the ground with a non-contact injury and the result was that RIFC went down to ten men with six minutes plus stoppage time left to play.
Indy saw that advantage and piled even more pressure on, but Rhode Island hunkered down and held on in its most impressive defensive performance to-date. Despite being a man down, the Tide saw out the game for the 3-2 win, their first ever playoff win.
Rhode Island FC’s reward for their tough win will be another away playoff match, this time against the league-leaders, Louisville City FC. Rhode Island FC beat Louisville City FC 5-2 in its last away match against the league’s best team and drew them 0-0 in their home match before that.
But as Sunday's match against Indy demonstrated, previous results have no bearing in these high-stakes playoff matches. This was a Rhode Island FC that had started its inaugural season almost entirely unable to achieve a decisive result, but have grown into one of the league’s most fearsome teams.