Following two decisive wins in its last two matches — and the club’s first win at home in its most recent match — Rhode Island FC looked to continue that momentum when the Indy Eleven came to town on Friday night at the midway point of the teams’ inaugural season.
However, the Indy Eleven set the tone early and scored two goals within 10 minutes, as it tried to turn the page from a 1-0 loss to Orange County a week ago that snapped a 10-game win streak.
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But RIFC wouldn't go down without a fight, as its recent offensive success continued. Battling back from the 2-0 deficit, RIFC cut the deficit in half late in the game, then scored in extra time to tie the game at three apiece to extended its undefeated string to four games.
“Really pleased with the spirit from the boys. They never gave up being down 2-nil at halftime. Really good reaction to come out,” coach Khano Smith said postgame. “[In the] second half, we were much better but it’s critical moments that are costing us at times, the wrong times.”
The Indy Eleven scored in the 20th minute, when a yellow card given to RIFC’s Frank Nodarse gave the visitors a corner kick. Laurence Wootton ran onto the ball and sent it past RIFC goalkeeper Benjamin Lee for a 1-0 Indy lead.
Eight minutes later — and soon after a near RIFC own-goal — midfielder Clay Holstad could not box out Indy’s Elliot Collier, who scored from 12 yards out, doubling Eleven's lead. That would hold through the half.
RIFC held possession 61% of the time in the first half, but was not able to set anything beyond sending the ball through the attacking third, resulting in multiple turnovers in the first 45.
The second 45 was different. RIFC opened the second half with continued possession and increased opportunities. JJ Williams sent a rocket to the net, but goalkeeper Hunter Sulte was there to stop it.
“Sometimes, you have to manufacture goals, but I do think that we were really dangerous in the second half. We had a lot of final third entries,” Smith said.
Nodarse would be in the right place to redirect a corner kick shot in the 52 nd minute past Sulte to cut RIFC’s deficit in half.
RIFC manufactured chance after chance following the goal, with opportunities to tie the game.
Finally, in the 69 th minute, on a corner kick, the dummy leap from Williams gave Nodarse the opportunity to get the ball off his forehead and into the net to knot the game at two apiece.
Indy Eleven learned from its mistake of losing possession and regained its structured style while each team looked to score the tiebreaking goal in the final 20 minutes of play.
A centering pass from Douglas Martinez to Tyler Gibson allowed Gibson to guide the ball into the net to give Indy the lead once again.
“We talked about what type of team we want to be, want to have the spirit of never giving up, never dying and that’s who they are,” Smith said. “Hopefully that just keeps giving them the belief that it’s never over.”
In the fifth and final minute of extra time, Providence-native Isaac Angking sent Jojea Kwizera's pass top shelf past Sulte to tie it.
RIFC will next face the Eastern Conference’s bottom-seeded Miami FC (2-2-13) in Florida next Saturday.
"We haven’t lost in the last three games so just carrying on this momentum and having the winning mentality,” Angking said postgame. “That’s the identity that we’re looking for. Just continue winning and show the league but also show this beautiful state what we’re about.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island FC battles back, earns 3-3 draw with Indy Eleven
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