What was hyped to be an exciting action packed match from start to finish, turned into a sloppy, lackluster performance from USL Championship rivals Hartford Athletic and Rhode Island FC in their first ever match vs each other. RIFC started brightly when in the 4th minute, JJ Williams put in a low cross which was tucked in by Mark Doyle sending the traveling RIFC fans into a frenzy.
That lead was short lived when Hartford Athletic equalized from a header, when Tristan Hodge put in a great ball from a corner kick and defender Joe Farrell elevated and headed the ball past RIFC Goalkeeper Koke Vegas.
The half and the game ended 1-1. RIFC controlled the majority of the play in the second half but were unable to beat Athletic keeper Renan Ribeiro. On the other end Hartford failed to create much of anything in the second half sending their best chance 25 feet over the crossbar into the concourse area of Trinity Health Stadium.
New England Revolution loanee Jack Panayotou looked comfortable carrying the ball forward but lacked the cutting edge that was needed to unlock the Hartford defense.
The main event of the night for me was listening to the RIFC fans chirp the Hartford Athletic fans. With an array of insults the Supporters seemed more up for the game than the players. Both teams remain near bottom of the USL Championship Eastern Conference. Perhaps next time these two teams face off it will seem more like a rivalry and less like a meaningless friendly.
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