Semifinal Preview: Rhode Island FC at North Carolina FC: November 8, 2025
USL Rhode Island FC

Semifinal Preview: Rhode Island FC at North Carolina FC: November 8, 2025

Published on November 4, 2025 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Rhode Island FC News Release


After a thrilling penalty-shootout victory at No. 2 Charleston Battery in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals on Sunday, the Ocean State club will head to First Horizon Stadium on Saturday for an Eastern Conference Semifinal matchup with North Carolina FC. Rhode Island FC will return to the Tar Heel State just four weeks after clinching its playoff spot with a 0-0 tie vs. North Carolina FC on Oct. 18, this time with a spot in the Eastern Conference Final on the line for the second-straight season. Having knocked No. 2 Charleston out of the postseason on the road for the second-straight year and shutting out the league's top-scoring attack in the process, RIFC has lost just once in its last eight games across the regular season and playoffs, and will look to feed off of that momentum to keep its playoff run alive in North Carolina. Ahead of Saturday's Eastern Conference Semifinal, here is everything you need to know.

AT A GLANCE

Date | Saturday, Nov. 8

Kickoff | 7:00 p.m. ET

Location | First Horizon Stadium at WakeMed Soccer Park - Cary, N.C.

Broadcast | ESPN+

Social | @rhodeislandfc (X, Instagram, Facebook)

Game Hashtag | #NCvRI

Last Meeting | June 14, 2025: NC 0-0 RI - Cary, N.C.

NORTH CAROLINA FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (4): 1-Jake McGuire, 22-Oliver Semmle, 24-Trevor Mulqueen, 25-Akira Fitzgerald

DEFENDERS (9): 5-Paco Craig, 11-Patrick Burner, 14-Rafa Mentzingen, 20-Conor Donovan, 23-Jahlane Forbes, 27-Bryce Washington, 42-Ezra Armstrong, 55-Triston Hodge, 66-Finn Sundstrom

MIDFIELDERS (10): 6-Thomas Roberts IV, 8-Pedro Dolabella, 10-Jaden Servania, 13-Louis Perez, 15-Mikey Maldonado, 16-Rodrigo Da Costa, 17-Collin Martin, 19-Ahmad Al-Qaq, 44-Raheem Somersall, 71-Jayson Quintanilla

FORWARDS (4): 7-Evan Conway, 9-Oalex Anderson, 26-Adam Luckhurst, 30-Raul Avalos

Locking it Down

Prior to its 0-0 tie vs. Rhode Island FC on Oct. 18, North Carolina FC had suffered a disappointing stretch of two-straight shutouts losses for the first time all season, dropping it out of the top four in the Eastern Conference standings. Following NCFC's result against RIFC, it has turned its fortunes around completely. North Carolina finished the regular season with a 1-0 win vs. Loudoun United FC to secure the No. 3 seed, and replicated that result one week later in a second-straight matchup vs. Loudoun in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. It has now kept three-straight shutouts, which is a club record in its USL Championship era, going 338 minutes without conceding. It has kept one-third of its nine total shutouts this season in the last three games. North Carolina FC has shut out Rhode Island FC in both of its meetings at First Horizon Soccer Stadium in the last two seasons, and will look to continue that trend and build on its impressive defensive run of form as it hunts for a spot in the Eastern Conference Final.

Oalex Anderson's Time to Shine

Oalex Anderson has been key to North Carolina FC's recent success, playing all 90 minutes in three-straight games for the first time all season and scoring both of the club's game-winning goals in its back-to-back wins vs. Loudoun United FC. In the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals, he found the back of the net just six minutes in with a powerful left-footed strike from the top of the penalty area, which was enough to see the club through to its first-ever USL Championship Playoff win. Anderson's goal was his eighth of the year across all competitions, marking the first time he has scored in back-to-back USL Championship games. The experienced USL veteran is no stranger to scoring in big games, as he also netted the opening goal in last year's Eastern Conference Quarterfinal at league-leading Louisville City FC in a narrow 3-2 loss.

Set the Tone Early

North Carolina FC is strongest when playing with a lead. It is unbeaten in its last eight USL Championship games when scoring the opening goal dating back to July 12. It has scored the opening goal in 18 of its 31 games across the regular season and playoffs, losing just twice in that span with a 12W-2L-4T record. Across 31 games, NCFC has scored 23 goals in the first half, which is the fifth-most in the USL Championship. Seventeen of those first-half goals have been scored in front of its home fans, which is the second-highest total in the USL Championship and most among the remaining teams in the playoffs. Following the upsets of both No. 1 Louisville City FC and No. 2 Charleston Battery, NCFC is the highest remaining seed in the Eastern Conference and would be guaranteed homefield advantage through at least the Eastern Conference Final should it advance that far.

RHODE ISLAND FC

Roster

GOALKEEPERS (3): 22-Jackson Lee, 1-Koke Vegas, 13-Will Meyer

DEFENDERS (8): 4-Hugo Bacharach, 6-Aimé Mabika, 14-Rio Hope-Gund, 15-Frank Nodarse, 2-Dani Rovira, 3-Aldair Sanchez, 5-Grant Stoneman, 24-Karifa Yao, 16-Cole Dewhurst, 32-Hamady Diop

MIDFIELDERS (12): 80-Isaac Angking*, 18-Joe Brito, 20-Zachary Herivaux, 12-Clay Holstad, 17-Jojea Kwizera, 8-Taimu Okiyoshi*, 21-Maxi Rodriguez, 77-Amos Shapiro-Thompson, 19-Kevin Vang, 23-Marc Ybarra, 7-Dwayne Atkinson

FORWARDS (4): 10-Albert Dikwa, 11-Noah Fuson, 9-JJ Williams, 27-Mathieu Ndongo

*Out on loan

Ran it Back in Charleston

Rhode Island FC proved why it is one of the toughest defenses to beat in the USL Championship in its upset penalty-shootout win at No. 2 Charleston in the Eastern Conference Quarterfinals. Although the Battery had scored a league-leading 62 goals through the 2025 regular season without suffering a single regular-season shutout at home, the RIFC defense rose to the occasion, doing something no other USL Championship team had accomplished in 2025. Fueled by four highlight-reel saves from goalkeeper Koke Vegas - including a one-on-one breakaway save to deny the USL Championship's second-highest scorer, Cal Jennings - the Ocean State club kept the Battery out of the back of the net for all 120 minutes of regulation and extra time to keep its 13th shutout of the season across the regular season and playoffs. Scoring all five penalty kicks in the shootout following the scoreless tie, RIFC became the only team in the last two seasons to beat Charleston twice at Patriots Point Soccer Stadium, punching its ticket to its second-straight Eastern Conference Semifinal with its first penalty-shootout win in club history.

Postseason Momentum

Rhode Island FC is now 2W-0L-0T in playoff matchups with Charleston following its historic Eastern Conference Final win last year, adding to its ever-increasing list of playoff road upsets. It is 4W-0L-0T all-time against Eastern Conference clubs in the postseason, with every victory coming on the road against a top four seed in the Eastern Conference standings. In 2024, RIFC defeated No. 4 Indy Eleven, No. 1 Louisville and No. 2 Charleston on the road on its way to the USL Championship Final. It will hope to keep its unblemished record against the Eastern Conference's best teams alive when it visits No. 3 North Carolina on Saturday, hoping to repeat history to secure a spot in the Eastern Conference Final for the second-straight year.

Scouting the Series

Rhode Island FC is unbeaten in four all-time matchups vs. North Carolina FC with a 2W-0L-2T record. Both of its wins took place in the Ocean State, including RIFC's first-ever win at Centreville Bank Stadium on June 21, where a last-minute Maxi Rodriguez penalty gave Rhode Island FC all three points. However, RIFC has not been quite as productive in the Tar Heel state. The two teams battled to a pair of 0-0 ties in two all-time meetings at First Horizon Stadium, making it one of just two Eastern Conference venues where the Ocean State club has never found the back of the net. After clinching its spot in the playoffs with a 0-0 tie vs. NCFC just four weeks ago, Rhode Island FC will look to maintain its perfect record against North Carolina FC in order to keep its playoff run alive.

Check out the Rhode Island FC Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from November 4, 2025


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