Ocean State club jumps to second place in Group 5 with decisive 3-0 victory
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (June 6, 2026) – In front of a sellout crowd of 10,554 fans at Centreville Bank Stadium, Rhode Island FC picked up its first win of the 2026 Prinx Tires USL Cup on Saturday with a commanding 3-0 win vs. USL League One club Westchester SC. Clay Holstad, JJ Williams and Leo Afonso all found the back of the net in a dominant attacking display, shooting the Ocean State club back into second place in Group 5 and keeping it in knockout stage contention with one group stage game to play.
Rhode Island FC (1W-1L-1T) got off to a quick start, testing the goal just two minutes into the game when a loose ball fell to Frank Nodarse in the box, who launched a close-range shot that was deflected over the bar by a defender. On the ensuing corner, Westchester SC (0W-2L-1T) defender Sam Powder came to the rescue for the visitors, clearing Hugo Bacharach’s close-range header off the goal line to keep the game level.
The Ocean State club continued to lay on the pressure as the half wore on, nearly finding the opening goal in the 35th minute when Noah Fuson got on the end of a long ball and unleashed a long-range curling shot that rattled the crossbar from outside the box.
Seven minutes later, the breakthrough finally came for RIFC when Holstad pounced on an attempted clearance in the 41st minute, forcing a dangerous turnover in the final third. Holstad took a touch towards goal and quickly fired a low shot into the bottom-left corner from outside the box, beating the outstretched gloves of Westchester goalkeeper Luca Marinelli to make it 1-0 just before the half.
Three minutes later, Williams delivered a dagger from close range to give the hosts a 2-0 cushion at the break. It started when Nodarse nodded Holstad’s long throw into the air, which fell straight in front of the goalmouth. Williams rose and was first to the ball, nodding it up and over Marinelli’s reach to give Rhode Island FC a commanding 2-0 lead at the half.
Westchester’s opportunities on the attack were few and far between, but it came closest to pulling a goal back in the 74th minute when Daniel Burko got on the end of a cross in the box and drove a header towards goal. RIFC goalkeeper Koke Vegas stood strong to make his first save and preserve the clean sheet, scooping up Westchester’s only shot on target of the game.
In the 75th minute, RIFC put the game to bed when Aldair Sanchez tore down the left side, chasing a long ball and whipping in a cross at the goal line. 16 minutes after coming off the bench, Afonso made a run into the box, neatly tucking a header into the bottom-right corner to finish off a dominant 3-0 win.
At the end of Saturday’s slate of games, the victory lifted RIFC back into second place in Group 5, two points behind group leaders Hartford Athletic. RIFC will play its final group stage game on July 11 vs. Brooklyn FC.
Up next, RIFC will return to USL Championship regular-season action when it travels to Segra Field to take on Loudoun United FC at 7:30 p.m. Then, after a two-week break, RIFC will return to Centreville Bank Stadium for its Independence Day game vs. Orange County SC on July 4, which will conclude with RIFC’s second postgame fireworks show of the summer, presented by Rhode Island Energy. Tickets to the next home game are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
RI – Clay Holstad, 41st minute: Holstad drives a shot into the bottom-right corner. RI 1, WES 0
RI – JJ Williams, 44th minute: Williams heads in a deflected ball into the back of the net. RI 2, WSC 0
RI – Leo Afonso (Aldair Sanchez), 75th minute: Sanchez slides in a corner to the middle of the box for Afonso, who heads the ball into the bottom corner. RI 3, WSC 0
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Clay Holstad scored his second goal of the 2026 season across all competitions, and his tenth career goal for Rhode Island FC. He is the fifth player in Rhode Island FC history to tally double-digit goals for the club.
- JJ Williams scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season across all competitions, matching his 2025 total in just 13 appearances. He is the club’s all-time leading scorer with 27 goals.
- Leo Afonso scored his third career goal for Rhode Island FC, and his first career USL Cup goal.
- Aldair Sanchez picked up his second assist of the season across all competitions. His eight career assists for the Ocean State club are tied for fourth all-time.
- Through three group stage games, RIFC has out-shot its opponents 64-19.
- Koke Vegas kept his sixth clean sheet of the season across all competitions, and the 28th of his RIFC career. He has played every minute between the sticks for Rhode Island FC in 2026.
- Jamin Gogo Peters and Kevin Vang both made their USL Cup debuts, coming in as second-half substitutes in the 83rd minute.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Clay Holstad
Match stats and information available here.
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