RIFC shut off the Las Vegas Lights and got a massive 3-1 win. It wasn’t easy and at points it felt like the season may be over, even if mathematically they couldn’t be eliminated tonight. But RIFC showed the never-say-die attitude that was a hallmark of their inaugural season. Here are my key takeaways from a big night at Tidewater:
Awful Start to Second Half
After going into halftime 0-0 and with a relatively lifeless performance, the hope was that RIFC would come out with more intensity in the 2nd half. Unfortunately, less than a minute into the half, Las Vegas 2nd half substitute Stefan Stojanovic did this:
It’s always dangerous when a ball bounces in front of the back line and it was no different here. Diop couldn’t recover and allowed Stojanovic fire a nice finish across the goal and into the far corner. Not the way you wanted to start the 2nd 45.
Hugo Equalizes
After going down a goal, RIFC started to gradually throw more players forward. And it eventually paid off in the 77th minute:
It was a classy layoff from Maxi that set Hugo up for the shot that found its way through and into the back of the net. And what a moment for Hugo. His first RIFC goal and it couldn’t have come at a better time. At this point, it was up to the team to keep the momentum going and push for a winner.
Noah Winner and JJ Dagger
With Las Vegas pushing for a winner themselves, RIFC were able to take advantage of a Vegas corner with a textbook counter attack:
Shout out to Busy who took a great touch around his defender to set Clay up for his marauding run. Clay then made the perfect pass to Noah at the far post who buried his chance. I’m so happy for Noah, as it’s been a tough season for him based on the expectations we had for him after his great 2024 season.
Las Vegas responded with a flurry of corners that RIFC heroically kept out, including one cleared off the line. Koke was a warrior out there after an apparent leg injury in the 67th minute that looked like it was going to force him to come off. JJ Williams then killed the game off in the 95th minute:
Absolutely Electric.
Final Thoughts
It wasn’t straightforward, but RIFC found a way. The win puts us back in 8th place and two points ahead of Indy Eleven in 9th. We’re also just one point behind Detroit in 7th and 3 points behind Pittsburgh in 6th. It’s been a tough season but the team still has a chance of making some noise. They have the talent to cause anyone issues. It’s just on every player and coach individually to do their job. UP THE TIDE!
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