Second-half JJ Williams goal gives RIFC first-ever regular-season win vs. Pittsburgh
PITTSBURGH, Pa. (July 25, 2026) – Rallying behind a second-half JJ Williams goal, Rhode Island FC picked up one of its most vital wins of the season so far on Saturday, taking down defending champions Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 1-0 at F.N.B Stadium. The win saw the Ocean State club string together back-to-back clean sheet victories for the first time in the 2026 regular season, propelling it up to sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings.
After an uneventful opening half-hour, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC began to pick up steam in the final 15 minutes of the first half, firing off the game’s first two shots on target. Rhode Island FC goalkeeper Koke Vegas was up to the task both times, however, first diving to corral Perrin Barnes’s low header in the 35th minute before denying Eliot Goldthorp’s powerful long-range effort with a brilliant full-stretch save eight minutes later.
The pair of Pittsburgh opportunities were the best of the bunch for either side in a scoreless first half, as the RIFC attack was held without a shot for more than 30 minutes going into the halftime break.
Despite the slow opening 45 minutes, Rhode Island FC did not need much to get going. The visitors took the lead with their first shot on target of the game when Nick Scardina dribbled into the box in the 62nd minute, weaving his way through the Pittsburgh defense before sending in a goal line cross. Williams met the cross at the back post, driving a header off the ground and into the back of the net to give RIFC its first-ever regular-season goal against The ‘Hounds.
The Riverhounds turned up the pressure in the final 10 minutes, but Vegas stood tall with a pair of critical saves to preserve the lead. In the 85th minute, Vegas palmed away a close-range, wide-open shot from Robbie Mertz, before knocking away Albert Dikwa’s dangerous effort after a goalmouth scramble in the second minute of second-half stoppage time. The game-defining saves preserved a vital three points for Rhode Island FC, who picked up its second-straight win to continue its charge up the table.
Up next, Rhode Island will conclude its two-game road trip when it travels to Birmingham Legion FC on Saturday, Aug. 1 at 8 p.m. ET. It will return to Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday, August 8 when it takes on Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC for a rematch of the 2024 USL Championship Final. Tickets to the next home game are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
RI – JJ Williams (Nick Scardina), 62nd minute: Williams heads in Scardina’s cross at the back post. PIT 0, RI 1
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- JJ Williams scored his team-leading 10th goal of the season across all competitions, officially reaching double-figures for the second time in three seasons.
- Williams is RIFC’s all-time leading scorer with 29 career goals, and is just one goal away from matching his highest single-season total with Rhode Island FC (11 goals, 2024).
- Nick Scardina tallied his third career assist for Rhode Island FC. All three of his assists have been to JJ Williams.
- Williams’s goal was RIFC’s second-ever goal against Pittsburgh in seven all-time meetings across all competitions, and its first-ever goal against Pittsburgh in the regular season.
- The win was Rhode Island FC’s second all-time at F.N.B Stadium.
- With Miami FC and Indy Eleven both losing, RIFC rose to sixth place in the Eastern Conference standings with the win.
- Rhode Island FC kept its second-straight clean sheet, doing so in back-to-back games in the regular season for the first time in 2026.
- The clean sheet was the 30th of goalkeeper Koke Vegas’s RIFC career.
- Dani Rovira made his first career appearance vs. his former team, coming in as a second-half substitute in the 86th minute.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: JJ Williams
Game stats and information available here.
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