Rhode Island FC extended its shutout streak to two matches on Saturday at Beirne Stadium as the Ocean State club battled to its second-consecutive 0-0 draw at home vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. Goalkeeper Jackson Lee continued to impress in his third-straight start, making three key saves on the way to his second professional clean sheet and Man of the Match honor.
As both clubs began to settle into the match after a quiet start, RIFC eventually forced the first save of the night from Pittsburgh goalkeeper Eric Dick in the 23rd minute. After a quick passing sequence cut through the defense down the left wing, Noah Fuson got on the end of a low cross that struck the shin of a defender, before the rebound fell to an onrushing Marc Ybarra from distance. The former Pittsburgh midfielder found the target with a curler towards the top left corner, but the shot didn’t have enough pace as Dick was quick to react and make the grab.
Through the opening 45 minutes, RIFC outshot Pittsburgh 6-3, with the visitors’ only opportunities coming from a pair of shots that flew north of the crossbar from outside the box in the final 10 minutes.
Early in the second half, Rhode Island FC continued to pile on pressure, creating flashes of positive buildup play in the final third. Despite dominating the second-half possession battle with 59 percent, the homeside was unable to find the finishing touch.
The visitors nearly broke the deadlock in the 77th minute when a low cross found the feet of Edward Kizza from the top of the six-yard box. The forward redirected the ball towards the frame, but a fantastic reflex save from the leg of goalkeeper Jackson Lee kept Pittsburgh off the scoreboard. Recovering quickly, the 22-year-old shot-stopper dove back up to save a follow-up from Emmanuel Johnson to complete the double-save and deny the visitors one of its best chances of the match.
Pittsburgh once again had a golden chance to win the match nine minutes into second half stoppage time when Kizza took advantage of a miscued clearance at the top of the box. With Lee out of the goalmouth after coming out to punch a dangerous ball away, Kizza had an open goal to shoot at, but Ybarra came to the rescue with a sliding goal-line clearance to keep the match scoreless.
Despite outshooting and out-possessing Pittsburgh through 90 minutes, RIFC once again struggled to find the back of the net as the search for its first-ever win continues. Kizza’s shot turned out to be the last action of the match, forcing both squads to settle for their second-consecutive scoreless draws.
Rhode Island FC is back in action in its first-ever Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup match on Tuesday, April 16 when the club travels to American Legion Memorial Stadium to take on USL League One side Charlotte Independence at 7:30 p.m. The match will be streamed live via usopencup.com, mlssoccer.com and uslsoccer.com, and fans can also cheer on their club from the Official Rhode Island FC Watch Party at Moniker Brewery in Providence.
RIFC will return to USL Championship play on Saturday, April 20 at 8 p.m. ET when the team travels out west to take on Las Vegas Lights FC. Fans can come together to cheer on the club at the Official Rhode Island FC Watch Party at 78 Pub at This Guy’s Pizza in Johnston. After a quick turnaround, RIFC is back at Beirne Stadium on Friday, April 26 to take on Phoenix Rising FC at 7:30 p.m. Tickets to the next home match are available now at rhodeislandfc.com/tickets.
ADDITIONAL NOTES
- With its second-consecutive clean sheet, RIFC extended its club-best shutout streak to 185 minutes. The team last conceded in the 90+5 minute of the club’s 4-1 loss at Tampa Bay Rowdies on March 30.
- Through five regular season matches, the Ocean State club has not conceded a single goal in the first half. RIFC is undefeated (0W-3D-0L) at Beirne Stadium this year.
- RIFC’s Albert Dikwa “Chico” played his 10,000th minute in the USL Championship against his former club, and served as the club’s third-ever captain.
- Mark Ybarra also featured against his former club, rescuing a point in the dying moments with a sliding goal-line clearance to deny Edward Kizza’s open-goal opportunity.
- Jackson Lee recorded his second-straight clean sheet and the second clean sheet in club history. The 22-year-old made three saves on his way to a second-consecutive Man of the Match performance.
- The Perth, Australia native stepped in for an injured Koke Vegas late in RIFC’s 2-2 draw at Monterey Bay F.C. on March 24, and has assumed the starting role ever since.
- Former Providence Friar Nathan Messer made his professional debut for Rhode Island FC in the second half, coming on as a substitute in the 79th minute.
MAN OF THE MATCH: Jackson Lee
Match stats and information available here.
Source: Rhode Island FC