Clubs to face off again in Jägermeister Cup Group Stage on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m.
PAWTUCKET, R.I. (July 19, 2025) – In front of a sellout crowd for the second-straight game at Centreville Bank Stadium, regional rivals Rhode Island FC and Hartford Athletic battled to a physical 0-0 draw on Saturday afternoon. Despite taking 14 shots and dominating possession throughout the game, RIFC was unable to find the back of the net through 90 minutes as the third all-time meeting between the two closest teams in the USL Championship ended all square.
One of Rhode Island FC’s (4W-8L-5T) first real chances of the first half came in the 24th minute, when Jojea Kwizera moved quickly down the left wing, finding open space and sending a high, curling cross to the back post. Making an athletic full-stretch leap to connect with the cross with his right foot, Albert Dikwa “Chico” narrowly missed wide of the back post.
In the 42nd minute, the Ocean State club struck again, clearing a corner kick and working quickly in transition down the field. Streaking toward midfield, Noah Fuson noticed Hartford Athletic (3W-8L-4T) goalkeeper Antony Siaha out of position, and attempted a spectacular long-range chip shot that fell wide of the right post.
In a half where Rhode Island FC outshot its regional rivals 6-1, its last chance came in first-half stoppage time, when Aimé Mabika drilled a one-time shot from inside the penalty area directly from Mark Ybarra’s corner kick. Although the shot was initially on frame, it was knocked away by a Hartford defender in one of the last kicks of the first half as the teams entered the break scoreless.
Just moments after coming on as a second-half substitute and making his debut at Centreville Bank Stadium, JJ Williams crafted one of the best chances of the game in the 60th minute, heading down a long ball and setting up Chico for an open shot at the top of the box. Chico took the ball across the box and onto his right foot, but fired the shot just over the bar. Less than ten minutes later, Williams sliced his way into the box before crossing the ball to a wide open Chico at the top of the six-yard box. Chico slotted a shot on target, but Siaha produced a fantastic diving stop to deny Rhode Island FC’s all-time leading scorer from point-blank range.
In the 78th minute, Williams was in action again, firing a low free kick towards the bottom-right corner and forcing another save out of Siaha. Four minutes later, Hartford came down the other way, sending in a cross that nearly bobbled into the goal before being cleared at the goalmouth by Ybarra.
Six minutes into second-half stoppage time, Rhode Island FC came within inches of the winning goal when Fuson picked out Williams with a long cross to the back post, but Siaha wrapped up a solid goalkeeping performance by plucking the ball out of the air to deny the Ocean State club for the final time. The save forced both clubs to settle for a scoreless draw in front of more than 10,600 fans in Pawtucket’s first-ever derby matchup.
Up next, Rhode Island FC and Hartford Athletic will face off for the second-straight week at Centreville Bank Stadium in a decisive game in Group 4 of the USL Jägermeister Cup on Saturday, July 26 at 7 p.m. Tickets to the next home game are available at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- 10,619 people packed Centreville Bank Stadium for the first-ever derby game hosted in Pawtucket.
- Prior to the game, the crowd set the all-time USL Championship noise record, recording a sound level of 130.6 decibels.
- Striker JJ Williams and defender Hugo Bacharach both made their Centreville Bank Stadium debuts after returning from injury in last week’s 1-0 loss at Indy Eleven, coming on as second-half substitutes.
- Midfielder Marc Ybarra made his first start at Centreville Bank Stadium, wearing the captain’s armband.
- Jackson Lee recorded his first regular-season shutout of 2025, and second in all competitions.
- Rhode Island FC is now unbeaten in three-straight home games across all competitions.
- Rhode Island FC is unbeaten in three all-time meetings vs. Hartford Athletic (1W-0L-2T).
- Rhode Island FC outshot Hartford Athletic 14-5, possessing 58 percent of the ball.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Karifa Yao
Match stats and information available here.
For Rhode Island FC news and updates, visit rhodeislandfc.com, download the official team app, and follow the club on Instagram, Facebook, X and LinkedIn.
