League-leading 12th clean sheet of 2025 sends Ocean State club to playoffs for second-straight season
CARY, N.C. (Oct. 18, 2025) – On top of a resilient defensive performance at First Horizon Stadium, Rhode Island FC officially clinched its second-straight playoff berth with a 0-0 tie at North Carolina FC on Saturday. The hosts threatened the Ocean State club with plenty of chances throughout the final 45 minutes, but the RIFC defense was up to the task every time, fighting to a valuable road point that officially booked RIFC’s ticket to the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs.
North Carolina FC (12W-11L-6T) came out swinging just two minutes into the game when Oalex Anderson got on the end of a long ball and broke into a one-on-one position. Koke Vegas was quick to shut down the chance, however, rushing off his line and cutting down the angle to make a big stop and avoid going down early.
Things stayed relatively quiet for Rhode Island FC (10W-11L-8T) until the 30th minute, when Noah Fuson collected the ball in the midfield before spinning past a defender. Taking a touch towards the top of the 18-yard-box, the forward unleashed a powerful curling shot that flew just wide of the left post.
Just before halftime, RIFC turned up the pressure and nearly found the game’s opening goal. In the 43rd minute, Albert Dikwa “Chico” took a shot from the top of the box that forced a low save from goalkeeper Oliver Semmle. Seconds later, RIFC worked quickly in transition when Chico fed Fuson through on goal with a crafty backheel flick before Fuson lined a shot towards the far post that was denied by a full-stretch stop from Semmle. Despite the late sequence of dangerous chances, the homeside did enough to weather the storm as the two sides entered the break scoreless.
Continuing its momentum into the second half, the Ocean State club nearly found a breakthrough just one minute into the second half. It started when Hugo Bacharach worked his way into the box after a strong passing combination with Fuson, tearing down the left side and playing a dangerous low cross to the near post. Substitute Dwayne Atkinson was there to connect, but could not quite turn the ball on target as the opportunity just narrowly missed the mark.
As North Carolina began to grow into the attack in the second half, Anderson tested the Ocean State club’s defense with a pair of dangerous crosses. In the 55th minute, the forward found Thomas Roberts in the middle of the box, who quickly turned and put a shot on frame. Karifa Yao was ready for the effort, however, and threw his body in front of the shot to block it away. On the ensuing sequence, Anderson got the ball in a similar position and whipped in a dangerous cross from the left wing. This time, Pedro Dolabella connected with the low delivery right in front of the near post, but the effort was knocked out of the goalmouth by Koke Vegas.
The pair of chances were the first of a North Carolina onslaught that forced the RIFC defense to play at its absolute best. In the 67th minute, Conor Donavan narrowly missed another dangerous opportunity for the hosts, connecting with an inswinging free kick from point-blank range but turning his shot just wide. Four minutes later, Dolabella fired a rocket from distance that hit the target, but Vegas produced another spectacular diving save to deny the effort. In the 73rd minute, Dolabella and Anderson linked up once again, with Anderson this time heading Dolabella’s cross wide of the target from a dangerous position in the box.
Despite the slew of chances, the RIFC defense rose to the occasion, holding onto its league-leading 12th shutout of the season as the game finished 0-0.
Rhode Island FC now heads into its season finale in Albuquerque with a spot in the postseason already secured. The Ocean State club will travel to Rio Grande Credit Union Field at Isotopes Park to take on New Mexico United in its final game of the 2025 regular season before embarking on its second-straight playoff run. Fans can tune into the interconference matchup on NESN and ESPN+, or join in cheering on the team at the Defiance 1636 Watch Party at The Guild Brewing Company in Pawtucket.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- With the tie, RIFC clinched its spot in the 2025 USL Championship Playoffs.
- Koke Vegas kept his 11th clean sheet of the regular season, and second in a row, making three saves. It was the 20th shutout of his RIFC career and 31st of his USL Championship regular season career.
- As a team, RIFC is tied for first in the USL Championship with 12 shutouts.
- RIFC is unbeaten in its last six games with a 4W-0L-2T record.
- RIFC outshot North Carolina FC 11-10 and out-passed it 424-391.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Koke Vegas
Match stats and information available here.
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