Rhode Island earns Eastern Conference title with win in Charleston

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Goals either side of halftime by Zach Herivaux and Noah Fuson sent Rhode Island FC to a 2-1 victory against the Charleston Battery before a sellout crowd of 5,087 at Patriots Point in the Eastern Conference Final of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix as RIFC became only the third team to reach the USL Championship Final in its expansion season in the league.

Rhode Island earned its third road victory of the playoffs, ending the Battery’s reign as Eastern Conference title holders. RIFC will now visit Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC at Weider Field next Saturday in the Championship Final at 12 p.m. ET.

The Battery had an early chance on a counterattack down the left that saw Aaron Molloy’s cross find Jackson Conway, whose finish went wide of the right post, while Juan David Torres flashed a shot wide from distance in the 17th minute. Rhode Island, meanwhile, had its first good chance three minutes later when the visitors got out in transition to set up Albert Dikwa for a shot that slid wide of the left post.

RIFC threatened again 10 minutes before halftime when Clay Holstad’s long throw-in from the right was flicked on at the near post by JJ Williams, forcing a scrambling one-handed save by Battery goalkeeper Adam Grinwis, who was able to palm the ball off a Rhode Island player and behind for a goal kick.

The Battery also went close from a set piece soon after as a short corner between Torres and Aaron Molloy created space for the Colombian on the left for a back-post cross that Nick Markanich fired into the outside of the side-netting.

The visitors went close again off a corner from the right which was headed on target by JJ Williams, forcing Grinwis into a diving save, but off a subsequent throw-in from the left, Holstad’s delivery got all the way through to Karifa Yao, whose header just outside the six-yard area was turned in at close range by Herivaux to put Rhode Island ahead.

Rhode Island believed it had doubled its lead six minutes into the second half when Dikwa fired home a volley off a header by Frank Nodarse off another recycled set piece, only for Nodarse to be ruled to have committed a foul in winning the header. Two minutes later, however, the visitors struck again as Fuson found space in the left channel and roofed home a finish from eight yards.

The Battery got back into the game just past the hour-mark when Torres curled home a free kick from 35 yards that deceived RIFC goalkeeper Koke Vegas and clipped the underside of the crossbar before finding the back of the net. The visitors almost responded immediately as Yao shot wide off a cutback cross from Marc Ybarra, while Markanich shot off target for the Battery with 20 minutes to go.

As the Battery tried to press late for an equalizer to send the game to extra time, however, Rhode Island’s back line held firm. The visitors, in fact, almost added a third with two minutes to play as Fuson was denied by Grinwis, but it proved academic as RIFC’s defense kept Charleston from a clean look at goal in stoppage time to see out the result.