RIFC Still Searching For 1st Win After Another Draw
RIFC Still Searching For 1st Win After Another Draw
Still looking for a win
Rhode Island FC tallied its second straight clean sheet, second straight nil-nil draw, as well as its fourth draw of the season, in a relatively boring affair against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
On paper, tonight’s match against Pittsburgh was certainly the most winnable match RIFC has played this season. Rhode Island FC was playing at home while Pittsburgh had lost their first three matches and were coming off of their own nil-nil draw, their very first point so far this season.
The first half opened with some end-to-end play and Joe Brito took the first shot of the game in the 8th minute with RIFC winning a corner in the 10th. These opportunities were both soundly wasted.
The side’s first great chance came in the 24th minute as former Pittsburgh Riverhound Mark Ybarra latched onto a cross from Noah Fuson and had a good shot narrowly saved by Pittsburgh’s goalkeeper, Eric Dick. Rhode Island FC put together a few more dangerous attacks after that but all resulted in shots either easily saved or narrowly missed.
In defense, the club was much stouter and by halftime Pittsburgh had taken only three shots to RIFC’s six.
The second half began with Rhode Island FC picking back up where they’d left off on last week’s yellow card collection efforts with Clay Holstad picking one up in the 50th minute. Coach Khano Smith and defender Collin Smith each picked one up in second-half stoppage time as well.
Play picked up as substitutes began to come on. Mark Ybarra curled a dangerous cross from a free kick in front of goal but no RIFC player rose to meet it and the threatening chance sailed harmlessly behind for a goal kick for Pittsburgh. In the 77th minute, Pittsburgh received what was to that point the most dangerous chance of the match as a low cross reached Pittsburgh’s Edward Kizza in the box. The resulting shot was saved by Jackson Lee and rebounded back into the feet of Riverhound Emmanuel Johnson, whose own shot was then saved by a diving Lee to deny the Riverhounds the lead.
Although Albert “Chico” Dikwa– also a former Pittsburgh Riverhound –had a good chance in the 80th, he missed the open net wide left and then again wide right in the 81st. The final good chance of the match also went to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds as Kizza took advantage of a bad clearance by Lee to shoot towards goal only to be denied by his former teammate Ybarra, whose goal-line clearance saved Rhode Island FC’s opportunity to earn a point.
Rhode Island FC out-shot and out-possessed the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on the night. Though they were the better team on paper both before and after the match it was Pittsburgh that had the more quality chances and who quite frankly should have walked away with all three points.
Rhode Island FC and Pittsburgh entered this match as the last teams in the USL Championship’s Eastern Conference without any wins and they exited it just the same. Rhode Island FC fans will be able to see their club play its first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match on April 16th, as RIFC travels to American Legion Stadium to play USL League One side Charleston Independence.
Fans will also be keen to see Rhode Island FC back in USL Championship action this Saturday, April 20th, at 8 pm EDT as they play away in Las Vegas against Las Vegas Lights FC.