Ocean State club travels to Indy Eleven for first-ever playoff match on Sunday, Nov. 3
SMITHFIELD, R.I. (Oct. 26, 2024) – Rhode Island FC concluded the 2024 regular season with its largest win in club history on Saturday, dominating Miami 8-1 on Fan Appreciation Night. Highlighted by a five-goal first half, the first hat trick in club history and a league-leading 10th assist of the season from Noah Fuson, the club cruised to its largest win this season ahead of its first-ever playoff matchup next weekend.
Rhode Island FC (12W-7L-15D) jumped out to an early lead in the 10th minute, when JJ Williams picked the ball out of the air on the right wing before taking a crafty touch around his defender and sending a ball into the 18-yard-box towards Fuson. Receiving the ball on his left foot, Fuson drilled a low shot towards goal, which deflected off of a defender before bouncing into the back of the net to give the Ocean State club a 1-0 lead.
Six minutes later, Fuson and Williams connected again to double the lead. This time, Fuson split the Miami FC (3W-29L-2D) defense to send Williams one-on-one with Miami goalkeeper Felipe Rodriguez. Sprinting into the box, Williams calmly slotted the ball past Rodriguez to give RIFC an early two-goal advantage.
RIFC did not let up from there, scoring a third time in the 31st minute when Marc Ybarra got on the end of Zachary Herivaux’s cross at the top of the six-yard-box. Powering home the ball from close range to make it 3-0, Ybarra’s strike marked the first of his RIFC career.
Fuson and Williams continued to wreak havoc on the Miami defense as the half went on. In the 40th minute, Fuson drew a foul in the box, earning a penalty kick that Williams drilled home to make it 4-0. The penalty conversion was the first in USL Championship play for RIFC.
Despite the deficit, Miami continued to battle and eventually pulled back a goal just before halftime when Michael Lawrence pounced on a loose ball in the box, firing a deflected shot just over the outstretched arms of Koke Vegas and into the back of the net. The celebrations were short-lived, however, as RIFC hit right back less than three minutes later.
The homeside’s fifth goal came when Herivuax played a ball through the middle to Williams, who touched it around Rodriguez and slotted it into the open net to complete the first hat trick in Rhode Island FC history. The Ocean State club went into the halftime break up 5-1, marking its highest-scoring half in club history.
Out of the halftime break, it took just 10 minutes for RIFC to find the scoresheet once again as it continued its relentless press on the attack. This time, Frank Nodarse was first to a loose ball at the top of the 18-yard-box, sending a perfectly curled effort around a Miami defender and past the outstretched glove of Rodriguez for the RIFC’s sixth goal of the night.
After returning from a two-match injury absence as a second-half substitute, Albert Dikwa “Chico” joined in on the scoring in the 74th minute, netting his team-leading 10th goal of the year when he got on the end of Joe Brito’s entry pass inside the box. Working his way into the box, Chico placed a low first-time finish into the far corner to extend the club-record lead to 7-1.
Six minutes later, Jojea Kwizera made it 8-1 with his third goal of the season. Working down the left wing from Jack Panayotou’s lofted pass, Kwizera plucked the ball out of the air in the box before powering it past Rodriguez at the near post, closing the curtain on RIFC’s 2024 regular season in style.
Following the conclusion of the regular season, RIFC will travel to Indy Eleven on Sunday, Nov. 3 for its first-ever playoff match. Kickoff time and broadcast information for the match will be announced at a later date. Fans can join in cheering on the team at the Official Rhode Island FC Watch Party at The Thirsty Beaver Hometown Pub & Grub in Smithfield.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
RI – Noah Fuson (JJ Williams), 10th minute: Fuson’s shot deflects off of a defender and bounces into the back of the net. RI 1, MIA 0
RI – JJ WIlliams (Noah Fuson), 16th minute: Williams breaks away and slots the ball past Felipe Rodriguez from close range. RI 2, MIA 0
RI – Marc Ybarra (Zachary Herivaux), 31st minute: Ybarra powers home Herivaux’s cross from close range. RI 3, MIA 0
RI – JJ Williams (Penalty), 40th minute: JJ Williams drills home his second goal of the half from the penalty spot. RI 4, MIA 0
MIA – Michael Lawrence, 45th minute: Lawrence pounces on a loose ball in the box and deflects a shot over Koke Vegas. RI 4, MIA 1
RI – JJ Williams (Zachary Herivaux), 45+4 minute: JJ Williams touches the ball around the goalkeeper and into the open net to complete his hat trick. RI 5, MIA 1
RI – Frank Nodarse, 54th minute: Nodarse curls it past the outstretched glove of Rodriguez and into the side netting. RI 6, MIA 1
RI – Albert Dikwa “Chico” (Jack Panayotou), 75th minute: Chico places his tenth goal of the year into the bottom-left corner. RI 7, MIA 1
RI – Jojea Kwizera (Jack Panayotou), 80th minute: Kwizera powers a shot past Rodriguez at the near post. RI 8, MIA 1
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- RIFC’s eight goals were the most scored in a single match by any team in the USL Championship this season. The seven-goal margin of victory was the largest in club history.
- Fuson’s goal and assist in the first half marked his seventh and eighth goal involvements (four goals, four assists) in his last five matches. He finishes the 2024 USL Championship regular season with eight goals, second on the team behind Albert Dikwa “Chico” (ten).
- Fuson’s assist to Williams was his USL Championship-leading 10th of the season, earning him the league’s Golden Playmaker award, given to the player that finishes the regular season with the most assists. Fuson is the only player in the USL Championship this season to reach a double-figure assist total.
- With three goals and an assist in the first half, Williams finished the regular season with six goals and six assists. Saturday’s match marked his third time this season registering multiple goal contributions in a single match and his first multi-goal match for RIFC, and the first hat trick in RIFC history.
- With his six assists, Williams finishes second on the team behind Fuson’s ten.
- Fuson and Williams combined in both the first and second goal of the match, marking the third time two RIFC players have combined for multiple goals in a single match this season and the second time the duo has done so.
- Marc Ybarra’s goal in the first half was his first for RIFC.
- Herivaux’s pair of assists were his second and third for RIFC, marking his first match with multiple assists this season.
- RIFC’s five-goal first half marked its highest-scoring half in club history.
- Amos Shapiro-Thompson made his RIFC debut as a substitute, coming on at halftime.
- Albert Dikwa “Chico” scored his team-leading tenth goal of the season.
- Frank Nodarse’s second-half goal was his sixth of the season.
- Jojea Kwizera’s goal was his third of the season.
- Jack Panayotou earned his first multi-assist match in USL Championship play, picking up his third and fourth of the season for RIFC.
- In total, four players registered multiple goal contributions in the match, which is the highest single-match total this season.
- Rhode Island FC finished its inaugural season with a 12W-7L-15D record, the third-lowest loss total in the USL Championship.
MAN OF THE MATCH: JJ Williams
Match stats and information available here.