Trio of goalscorers combine for crucial road win in tight playoff race
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (Sept. 12, 2026) – Rhode Island FC returned to the win column in style on Saturday, defeating Sporting Club Jacksonville 3-0 at Hodges Stadium. Yutaro Tsukada stole the spotlight with a stunning bicycle kick to open the scoring in the first half, while Stas Korzeniowski and Jojea Kwizera added second-half goals of their own to secure a critical three points in the USL Championship playoff race.
After the first 20 minutes saw Rhode Island FC (9W-8L-5T) and Sporting Club Jacksonville (3W-16L-5T) exchange just two shots, the Ocean State club began to turn up the pressure on the attack in the back end of the first half. In the 30th minute, the visitors forced a pair of sharp saves from Jacksonville goalkeeper Jake McGuire, beginning when Leo Afonso drove a low free kick on goal that was palmed away by the veteran shot-stopper. RIFC forced a turnover and came charging back into the final third less than one minute later, and Kwizera unleashed a first-time shot that stung the gloves of McGuire.
The visitors eventually ripped the deadlock open in spectacular fashion in the 38th minute, taking the lead when Yutaro Tsukada converted Leo Afonso’s right-wing cross with an acrobatic overhead kick. The highlight-reel goal gave RIFC a 1-0 lead going into the halftime break.
Although the hosts responded positively to the goal in the second half, RIFC goalkeeper Koke Vegas came up with a pair of big saves in the space of 11 minutes to preserve his 10th clean sheet of the season across all competitions. The best of the bunch came in the 48th minute, when Vegas rushed off his line to tip away Edgarto Rito’s one-on-one effort from close range.
In the 63rd minute, RIFC exploded in transition once again when second-half substitute Noah Fuson played Korzeniowski through on goal. Korzeniowski carried the ball into the final third and calmly slotted a tidy finish into the bottom-right corner, putting the visitors in firm control with a 2-0 lead.
The Ocean State club completed a dominant road performance in the final minute of regulation when Korzenioski continued to wreak havoc on the Jacksonville backline, drawing a foul in the box to win a penalty kick. Kwizera stepped up and rifled the spot kick into the top-left corner, securing a crucial 3-0 win in style.
Up next, RIFC will return to Centreville Bank Stadium to host Miami FC on Saturday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. for Portuguese Heritage Night. Tickets to the next home game are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
GOAL SCORING RUNDOWN
RI – Yutaro Tsukada (Leo Afonso), 38th minute: Tsukada slams home an acrobatic bicycle kick. JAX 0, RI 1
RI – Stas Korzeniowski (Noah Fuson), 63rd minute: Korzeniowski slots a low finish into the bottom-right corner. JAX 0, RI 2
RI – Jokes Kwizera (Penalty Kick), 90th minute: Kwizera fires a penalty kick into the top-left corner. JAX 0, RI 3
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- Osman Foyo made his first career start for Rhode Island FC in his fourth appearance for the club.
- Zachary Herivaux made his first appearance since July 4, coming in as a second-half substitute in the 79th minute and returning from an 11-game injury absence across all competitions.
- Yutaro Tsukada scored his second goal for RIFC, converting the first bicycle kick in club history. Tsukada has two goals and one assist in his first six appearances for Rhode Island FC.
- Stas Korzeniowski scored his second career goal for RIFC in his third appearance for the club. He has scored in back-to-back games.
- Leo Afonso picked up his third career assist for RIFC.
- Noah Fuson tallied his fourth assist of the season. He is RIFC’s all-time leader with 19 career assists.
- Jojea Kwizera scored his sixth goal of the season, and the 11th goal of his RIFC career. The total is a career-high for RIFC’s active scoring leader.
- Goalkeeper Koke Vegas made a season-high five saves to preserve his tenth clean sheet of the season across all competitions, and the 32nd of his Rhode Island FC career.
- The win broke a three-game winless skid on the road for RIFC, and marked the second time in four games that three different players have scored for RIFC.
- With the win, RIFC rose to seventh in the Eastern Conference standings, bringing itself within five points of a top-four home playoff spot with two games in hand.
PLAYER OF THE GAME: Yutaro Tsukada
Game stats and information available here.
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