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USL Rhode Island FC

RIFC Travels to No. 2 Charleston Battery on Saturday for Eastern Conference Finals

November 15, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


Charleston Battery was moments away from winning the 2023 USL Championship Final in front of a sold-out home crowd last season before Phoenix Rising SC found the back of the net with a 90th-minute equalizer to send the match into extra time. The Eastern Conference club would eventually fall to Phoenix 3-2 in a penalty shootout after the extra time ended scoreless. Now, the club will look to return to the championship match in back-to-back seasons for the first time in two decades, after earning its highest regular season finish since 2019 (No. 2 seed) and most recently defeating Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 in come-from-behind fashion in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Charleston has been strongest in front of its home supporters at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium this season, losing just one match with a 13W-1L-3D overall record. The Eastern Conference club hasn't lost in 14 home matches dating back to May 24, outscoring opponents 36-10 and keeping six shutouts in that time. Excluding the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the near-perfect record at home is Charleston's best since 2017, when it went 10W-1L-5D in front of its home fans. In the attack, Nick Markanich leads the way for Charleston with a USL Championship-record 30 goals in 2024.

Rhode Island FC has plenty of experience battling teams who are strong on their home turf. Although Charleston has only lost once at home this season, RIFC's recent win over Louisville in the Eastern Conference Semifinals established the Ocean State club as the only team to win at Lynn Family Stadium across 2024 in 19 total matches, doing so twice. The pair of wins marked the only two multi-goal losses for Louisville this year. The 3-0 conference semifinal win was the only shutout loss suffered by the league leaders at home, and RIFC's 5-2 win in June marked the most goals scored by a visiting team in the history of Lynn Family Stadium. Additionally, RIFC is one of just four teams to take a result away from Charleston this season, after the two sides drew 1-1 in late October. Rhode Island FC carried over its attacking efficiency from the end of the regular season to its first-ever playoff run, bringing its total to 23 goals in the midst of tying a club-record eight-match unbeaten streak. In that span, JJ Williams has been explosive in the attack, scoring a brace to carry RIFC over Louisville after netting the first two hat tricks in club history in back-to-back matches. Scoring an resounding eight goals in his last three, Williams has propelled himself to the top of the all-time goalscoring list for RIFC, tying Albert Dikwa "Chico" with 11 goals to lead the club in its inaugural campaign as the only two players in double-figures.

After becoming the first expansion club to qualify for a conference final in its first year since El Paso Locomotive FC in 2019, Rhode Island FC has the chance to make more history on Saturday and achieve something that hasn't been done by a first-year team in nearly a decade: win a conference title. The last time a club advanced all the way to the championship match in its first year was Louisville City FC in 2015. LouCity went on to make the conference final every season for the next nine consecutive years, holding a streak that wasn't broken until Rhode Island FC beat Louisville on Saturday.

WHAT

Rhode Island FC travels to Patriots Point Soccer Stadium to take on Charleston Battery in the Eastern Conference Finals of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs.

WHO

Charleston Battery

Rhode Island FC

WHEN

Saturday, Nov. 16

7:00 p.m. ET

WHERE

Patriots Point Soccer Stadium

85 Patriots Point Rd.

Mt Pleasant, SC 29464

BROADCAST | RADIO

ESPN+

The Wolf (106.3 FM)

SiriusXM FC Channel 157

RIFC OFFICIAL WATCH PARTY (arrive early, expected to reach maximum capacity)

The Guild Brewing Company

461 Main Street

Pawtucket, RI 02860

Check out the Rhode Island FC Statistics

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