It was a glorious Saturday night for Footy at sold out Beirne Stadium on the campus of Bryant University. For Hartford Athletic and their faithful supporters the night did not go so well as RIFC dominated the match 3-0. At no point in the match were RIFC in danger as they carried the play from start to finish continuing their recent run of good form.
Grant Stoneman opened the scoring for RIFC when Jojea Kwizera whipped in a left footed ball off of a set piece in which Stoneman rose up heading the delivery into the back of the net. This was Stoneman's first goal of the year giving RIFC the 1-0 lead heading into the half.
RIFC pounced quickly in the 2nd half when in the 49th minute Frank Nodarse got on top of a Noah Fuson cross from a set piece doubling the RIFC lead.
The match sort of stalled out over the next 20 minutes.....this until fireworks in the Hartford Supporters section was lit off with a green smoke flair, rushing in Stadium security to the area.
Joe Brito put the cherry on the sundae in the first minute of stoppage time when Albert Dikwa drove the ball to the byline and touched the ball to Brito who tapped in the service. This sent the home crowd into frenzy and sealed all 3 points to the home side.
For RIFC this victory helps them continue their recent run of good form as they climb up to 6th in the Eastern Conference. Hartford appeared to get a boost from 3 consecutive results, but they were lifeless Saturday night in Rhode Island and sit near bottom in the East.
The environment at Beirne was stellar as the RIFC Supporters Group The Defiance were extremely vocal all night with their drums, horns and chants. They also include multiple smoke flares and a strobe light show during various parts of the match.
Overall it was a win for Footy in New England. The game is growing in this region and I am extremely excited to see the continued growth of the game locally.
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