RIFC dominant in New England derby vs Portland
- toddtinkham
- Jun 28
- 2 min read
It was a glorious night at CBS@TL for RIFC and it's supporters. Not only did the 4-1 victory propel the amber & blue to the top of the their Jagermeister Cup group, Albert Dikwa returned to full form.
Dikwa delivered a hat trick for RIFC. He was stellar on the night scoring a chip goal, a near post finish off of a pass from Aldair Sanchez, and the 3rd was a thing of beauty with flicks and tricks in the buildup leading to his back post header.
Portland's dynamic #10 Ollie Wright started on the bench for the Hearts of Pine. Wright's absence from the 11, hindered Portland's attack until his involvement in the 2nd half. When Wright came in Portland was able to find the back of the net, when Titus Washington outlegged the RIFC defense.
Noah Fuson came back to his 2024 form as well. He was deployed in a more central role ahead of Maxi Rodriguez and Clay Holstad. Fuson was excellent with his positional awareness. Fuson was able to spray the ball all over the pitch creating space and opportunities for his squad all night. His night culminated in the 85th minute when he dribbled by former RIFC defender Nathan Messer to bury RIFC's 4th goal of the evening.
Maxi Rodriguez in a deeper lying role seemed to have more time on the ball and was able to break the lines with several of his passes. Clay Holstad played his regular role with consistency and strength, breaking up play and triggering the attack, which was very potent on the night.
Perhaps the only negative of the night was Head Coach Khano Smith getting sent off post half time. Smith received his 2nd yellow some time during the half time break and was forced to watch the 2nd half on the Centreville Bank Stadium roof.
The night was what Footy in New England should be all about. A beautiful summer night, mixed with good footy, good times for fans, and 2 teams from our region battling it out. The summer of Footy in New England carries on. Busy weekend still ahead.
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