RIFC pulled off a thrilling come from behind 2-1 victory over North Carolina FC Saturday night. This was a different kind of performance for the boys in amber and blue, and one that really bodes well for the team moving forward this season. More on that at the end. It’s also important to note that this win kept our incredible run of form going, as we have won 3 in a row and are unbeaten in our last 7.

On a personal note, I would have loved to be at this game. I’m away with family on vacation, staying right on Silver Lake in Western New York. I’ve been enjoying good wings, beer, and the peacefulness of nature. And while it still sucked to not be at Beirne, the one positive that comes with missing the game was that it was much easier to write this blog. No need to go back and re-watch the game. Just some simple note-taking and my immediate thoughts required. But enough about the behind the scenes and on to the good stuff.

Rhode Island set up in our usual 3-5-2

The first thing that should jump out here is that JJ Williams did indeed play up top in this one. All of my concerns from the Lookout were misguided. I was concerned about JJ not playing because he went down late against Birmingham, but it looks like that must have just been a cramp. Also, this is the same lineup that we saw in the last match and seems to be the preferred lineup moving forward.

Rhode Island started this game as the better team, controlling possession and creating chances. Unfortunately, this didn’t lead to any first half goals. The best chances happened in around a 5 minute span from minute 20 to minute 25. JJ Williams, who had great hold up play all game, tried to play his strike partner Albert Dikwa through. The ball was cut off by North Carolina’s Rafa Mentzingen, but he almost played it past his own goalkeeper into the far corner. Shortly after this, Jojea Kwizera beat his man on this wing and played a pass to set up JJ, only for him to scuff the chance and miss it wide. We also had a patented Frank Nodarse header that seemed headed for the back of the net before it was blocked and cleared away.

If you read the Prematch Lookout or watched/listened to The Away End, you would know that North Carolina is very comfortable ceding possession and waiting to beat you on the counter. And that is exactly what they did. North Carolina would score in the 30th minute through midfielder Mikey Maldonado. It all started from Rhode Island playing out from the back. Karifa Yao lofted a ball to towards the center circle that was cut out by North Carolina defender Bryce Washington. His header made it’s way towards Louis Perez, whose lofted ball was headed down by Evan Conway right into the path of Maldonado. Maldonado would strike it first time to beat Koke, who had little chance of making a save. North Carolina would go on to almost double their lead in stoppage time of the first half. Striker Oalex Anderson got around Nodarse and played a ball back across the box for Collin Martin. Martin tried to shoot on goal from just outside the six yard box, but Grant Stoneman was there to make the block and ensure the game went into halftime only 1-0.

North Carolina started as the better team in the 2nd half, but that really only lasted for about 10 minutes. They had a chance through Anderson, who tried to get around Koke and was able to chip a shot towards goal only for it to be comfortably headed down by Yao and then cleared away. The rest of the game saw North Carolina essentially park the bus and try to hang on to their one goal lead. It looked for a little while like this might work, as Rhode Island would have a few frustrating moments before getting the equalizer.

There was a bizarre moment where Kwizera got a yellow card after Shaft Brewer (fantastic name) was “fouled” in our attacking third. The replay showed there was literally zero contact and Brewer tripped over his own feet. JJ Williams also created a chance with some great footwork to beat his defender, but his powerful shot was well saved by North Carolina goalkeeper Jake McGuire. Clay Holstad would smash a shot just past the far post as well.

We would finally get the breakthrough in the 73rd minute through Mark Doyle. Grant Stoneman cut out a clearance just outside the box and hit the ball on a half volley that would take a deflection on it’s way through and strike the crossbar. Doyle and Dikwa were the only two players to react to the rebound and Doyle headed the ball into an empty net for what is probably the easiest goal of his career. This goal was the product of how deep North Carolina were sitting. Stoneman was able to be in that position on the edge of the box because our opponent had 11 men behind the ball.

The winning goal would incredibly once again come from Zach Herivaux. Noah Fuson played a wonderful ball from out wide towards the corner of the box and Herivaux would smash it near post, giving McGuire no chance at a save. It’s an incredible story that Herivaux is writing for himself, having helped secure consecutive wins with 3 goals in his last 2 games. Each team would have one more decent chance before all was said and done, but neither could convert and the game would end 2-1.

The two things that stood out to me the most in this game were Khano Smith’s substitutions, and as I alluded to earlier, the type of performance that this win required. As far as the substitutions go, both goal scorers were 2nd half subs. Herivaux came on for Ybarra after 60 minutes and Doyle came on for Turnbull after 70. The first sub was a like for like change, which is something that I’ve wanted to see more of when possible. We’ve too often made subs that have shifted players into different positions and have caused us to lose our shape. That being said, Doyle for Turnbull was obviously not a like for like change. This move put Doyle with JJ and Chico as a front three and moved Fuson back to Turnbull’s right wingback spot. This worked out perfectly, as it was from that right wing spot where Fuson played his pass to Herivaux for the winning goal.

The performance that was needed for this game was one that we hadn’t seen yet this season. This was the first time that we were really able to keep sustained pressure on an opponent and get the goals that we needed for a win. Some of this was by design, as North Carolina were more than happy to sit back and try to absorb that pressure. But even so, we were able to keep pushing.

We ended this game with 58% possession. While this isn’t a massive advantage, it’s significant for a team who has made this turnaround by generally trying to beat teams in transition. I will say that during this recent run of form, we had a similar game against Indy Eleven as far as the possession battle. And we also had to come back in that game, twice in fact. But this win felt different. I can’t emphasize enough how North Carolina parked the bus for the majority of this game. If you need further proof, there were a few occasions in the 2nd half where Koke got close to being in our attacking half of the field. Our ability to get around a low block could end up being massively important as we push forward this season. It is a characteristic of a lot of great teams. We have also now shown that we can win in multiple ways and if we can keep this up, no one will want to play us come playoff time.

Thank you for reading and as always, UP THE TIDE!