Riverhounds SC sneaks in 95th-minute goal to stun RIFC in 1-1 draw

Tim Yean

Managing Editor

(PAWTUCKET, R.I.) – A 95th-minute goal from Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC midfielder Eliot Goldthorp was enough to stun the crowd at Centreville Bank Stadium and tie against Rhode Island FC, 1-1.

“Disappointing end, thought we did so well,” RIFC head coach Khano Smith said in his postgame press conference. “Certainly hurts to give up a goal like that.”

It was a last-minute spoiler on Fan Appreciation Night in Pawtucket, where host RIFC looked to close out the home regular season with a victory and strengthen their odds to host United Soccer League Championship playoff action.

Pittsburgh’s goalkeeper Nico Campuzano excelled against a barrage of Rhode Island attempts, recording five saves in the win, including a crucial penalty kick save against RIFC forward Leo Afonso in the 56th minute. The host’s Koke Vegas faced just three shots in the defeat, allowing Goldthorp’s last-effort shot to sneak into the right corner.

Rhode Island forward Osman Foyo registered his first career goal with the club in the 74th minute on a spin move to provide enough space to fire in a goal past Campuzano.

“As soon as I kicked the ball, I just knew it was going in,” Foyo told reporters postgame. “To finally get the first goal, it means everything to me.”

Both teams entered the contest with 12-5-11 records, with Rhode Island just a spot above Pittsburgh as the fifth seed.

Pittsburgh saw its first opportunity in the match in the 11th minute with a free kick, but no one connected on the header and the ball bounced just over Vegas’ net.

RIFC would follow and maintain possession for most of the frame, with brief holdouts on Pittsburgh’s end, but each team came to the same conclusion: scoreless at the half. The hosts outshot Riverhounds SC by a seven-to-one margin, but three shots on target were all saved by Campuzano.

The visitors regained a brief control of possession in the final minute of play, but the RIFC defense stopped the advance and ended the half scoreless,

The Rhode Island attack continued to pepper shots at Pittsburgh in the second half while keeping the ball away from the Riverhounds defensively. After Afonso’s denied penalty kick on a left-dive save, a second-chance shot from Foyo missed wide.

Foyo avenged the miss on the aforementioned highlight-worthy goal to entrench the hosts with a 1-0 advantage that would remain for the rest of regular time.

At the 90th minute, the referees added four minutes of stoppage time, in which Pittsburgh finally revved up the offensive engine and began a last-ditch siege that culminated in the match-tying goal from Goldthorp.

The draw means that Rhode Island will have to rely on one of the top four teams in the USL Championship Group A Division to lose in order to secure a home playoff spot. RIFC will close out the regular season at regional rival Hartford Athletic Saturday, Oct. 24 at 7 p.m.

“Obviously, we lost control of our own destiny, but we can still go there and try to win the game, and hopefully we can finish as high as possible, whether that's fourth, fifth or whatever,” Khano Smith said.

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