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PAWTUCKET — Rhode Island FC broke its set-piece trend.
Two goals off corner kicks against Hartford Athletic sparked a second-round win in the U.S. Open Cup at Centreville Bank Stadium. After scoring just one set-piece goal last season, in a win vs. USL League One side Westchester SC, Rhode Island managed a pair in the first 30 minutes against neighboring Hartford.
Aldair Sanchez and JJ Williams supplied the first half goals in the 2-0 win in rain-soaked Pawtucket on Wednesday, April 1. The win, in front of an announced attendance of 4,857, pushes Rhode Island into the Round of 32 in the tournament.
Rhode Island awaits the draw on Thursday at 9 a.m. to learn its next opponent. Possible opponents are New England Revolution, D.C. United, Red Bull New York and New York City FC. The next round is slated for April 14-15. Rhode Island’s next USL Championship game is on Saturday, April 4 against Detroit City FC at 4 p.m.
“I thought the guys executed the game plan to a high standard, and to score two set pieces was nice,” RIFC coach Khano Smith said. “You can see the difference that set-piece goals make to give you a boost.
“We’ve been working on it, and the boys have been focused on it. It was certainly an area that we needed to improve from last year and we tried to do some things differently.”
Cranston High School East and Providence College alum, Kevin Vang started the first scoring sequence with a cross to Williams at the far post. Williams settled the pass with a header to Sanchez, and he buried it in the 12th minute for his first goal with Rhode Island FC.
Williams then doubled the advantage in the 30th minute off a helper from Agustín Rodríguez. The forward became the all-time leading scorer with his 20th goal, which broke a tie with Albert Dikwa, as he bullied Hartford in front of the net.
“We have a big team as you look across our roster,” Williams said. “We were just really bad [on set pieces] last year. And it wasn’t a matter of effort, it was execution and I think that’s the biggest part. We just needed to see one go in the back of the net. And once you do, the floodgate kind of opens.”
Koke Vegas denied Hartford’s best scoring chance when Michee Ngalina got out on the breakaway in the 56th minute. Ngalina had space to cut the lead, after a turnover in Rhode Island’s half, but Vegas pushed the chance out for a corner with a right-footed redirect.
Frank Nodarse matched his keeper with a spectacular save of his own in the 77th minute. With Vegas off his line, Nodarse denied Sebastian Anderson’s blast from the right side with a backheel on the end line.
Rhode Island now searches for its first league win after a draw against Sporting JAX to start the year and losses at Louisville City FC and Miami FC.
“I think we’ve had a couple tough results recently,” Williams said. “And to be honest, we just need to play better.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island FC beats Hartford Athletic 2-0 in the U.S. Open Cup
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Two goals off corner kicks against Hartford Athletic sparked a second-round win in the U.S. Open Cup at Centreville Bank Stadium. After scoring just one set-piece goal last season, in a win vs. USL League One side Westchester SC, Rhode Island managed a pair in the first 30 minutes against neighboring Hartford.
Aldair Sanchez and JJ Williams supplied the first half goals in the 2-0 win in rain-soaked Pawtucket on Wednesday, April 1. The win, in front of an announced attendance of 4,857, pushes Rhode Island into the Round of 32 in the tournament.
Rhode Island awaits the draw on Thursday at 9 a.m. to learn its next opponent. Possible opponents are New England Revolution, D.C. United, Red Bull New York and New York City FC. The next round is slated for April 14-15. Rhode Island’s next USL Championship game is on Saturday, April 4 against Detroit City FC at 4 p.m.
“I thought the guys executed the game plan to a high standard, and to score two set pieces was nice,” RIFC coach Khano Smith said. “You can see the difference that set-piece goals make to give you a boost.
“We’ve been working on it, and the boys have been focused on it. It was certainly an area that we needed to improve from last year and we tried to do some things differently.”
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Cranston High School East and Providence College alum, Kevin Vang started the first scoring sequence with a cross to Williams at the far post. Williams settled the pass with a header to Sanchez, and he buried it in the 12th minute for his first goal with Rhode Island FC.
Williams then doubled the advantage in the 30th minute off a helper from Agustín Rodríguez. The forward became the all-time leading scorer with his 20th goal, which broke a tie with Albert Dikwa, as he bullied Hartford in front of the net.
“We have a big team as you look across our roster,” Williams said. “We were just really bad [on set pieces] last year. And it wasn’t a matter of effort, it was execution and I think that’s the biggest part. We just needed to see one go in the back of the net. And once you do, the floodgate kind of opens.”
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Koke Vegas denied Hartford’s best scoring chance when Michee Ngalina got out on the breakaway in the 56th minute. Ngalina had space to cut the lead, after a turnover in Rhode Island’s half, but Vegas pushed the chance out for a corner with a right-footed redirect.
Frank Nodarse matched his keeper with a spectacular save of his own in the 77th minute. With Vegas off his line, Nodarse denied Sebastian Anderson’s blast from the right side with a backheel on the end line.
Rhode Island now searches for its first league win after a draw against Sporting JAX to start the year and losses at Louisville City FC and Miami FC.
“I think we’ve had a couple tough results recently,” Williams said. “And to be honest, we just need to play better.”
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Rhode Island FC beats Hartford Athletic 2-0 in the U.S. Open Cup
Continue reading...
