LOUISVILLE, Ky. – JJ Williams scored a pair of goals as Rhode Island FC took a 3-0 victory against Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium to advance in the Eastern Conference Semifinals of the 2024 USL Championship Playoffs presented by Terminix as Rhode Island took its second road victory against LouCity this season.

Rhode Island will face either the Charleston Battery or Tampa Bay Rowdies in the Eastern Conference Final next weekend as LouCity missed out on a 10th consecutive appearance in the conference final in its history.

After an energetic start, Rhode Island took an early lead in the ninth minute as Frank Nodarse played Williams forward into the right channel, allowing Williams to lift his finish over the advancing goalkeeper and into the left corner of the net. Louisville almost responded immediately as off a free kick from the left, Elijah Wynder’s flicked header was saved by Koke Vegas in the RIFC net before a scramble in the box saw Arturo Ordóñez’s effort blocked away for a corner by Grant Stoneman.

LouCity threatened again late in the first half after Wilson Harris won a free kick at the top of the penalty area. Taylor Davila’s low shot went past the wall but was saved well by Vegas. Rhode Island, meanwhile, also went close in stoppage time as Noah Fuson got into the penalty area but had his effort blocked away by Kyle Adams.

The hosts carried more of the play as the second half began as they looked for an equalizer. Halftime substitute Jake Morris fired a low shot that was saved before Ray Serrano flashed a cross through the six-yard area that was just cleared by the Rhode Island defense before it could be finished by a waiting attacker shortly after the hour-mark.

With 12 minutes to play, however, Rhode Island sealed its win as a turnover in the defensive end by the hosts came to Williams, who shifted onto his left foot in the left side of the penalty area and roofed a finish into the net for his fifth goal of the postseason. The visitors then sealed the win in stoppage time when Albert Dikwa was brought down in the penalty area by LouCity goalkeeper Damian Las, and while Las made a good save to deny Fuson’s shot to the bottom-left corner, Dikwa followed up to put home the rebound.

LouCity got a chance of its own from the penalty spot for a late consolation goal, but Sean Totsch’s effort to the bottom-right corner was saved by Vegas, capping an immaculate night for Rhode Island.

Three Things That Mattered

1. WILLIAMS IS THE MAN OF THE MOMENT: Two games in, JJ Williams is already having a USL Championship Playoffs for the ages. The striker bagged a two-goal game against Louisville City FC with a pair of sharply taken finishes early and late that capitalized on turnovers by the hosts and made them pay severely. Williams has now scored five goals this postseason, one off the all-time high in Championship Playoffs history, as he leads RIFC into its first Eastern Conference Final.

2. RHODE ISLAND’S DEFENSE HELD: Louisville City FC hadn’t been held scoreless at home since July 12, 2023 by Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, going through its full 2024 campaign being held to only one goal on one occasion. That changed on Saturday night as Rhode Island’s defense proved resilient despite having to absorb pressure consistently throughout the game. Led by Karifa Yao’s 10 clearances, the three-player back line kept LouCity at bay as the barrage of 33 crosses and nine corner kicks were unable to connect with their targets, keeping both Wilson Harris and Phillip Goodrum to one shot apiece.

3. LOUCITY COMES UP ONE RALLY SHORT: Louisville City had advanced to at least the Eastern Conference Final in each of its first nine seasons, but in a campaign in which one of its calling cards was its resilience, it was unable to find clean enough connections in the final third to mount a comeback to bring that streak to an end. The hosts only registered four shots on target in the contest, the last of which was a save penalty kick by Sean Totsch, the first he had failed to convert in his career. It summed up the night for LouCity, which will continue to wait for its third league title after a historic regular season.

USLChampionship.com Player of the Game

JJ Williams, Rhode Island FC – Williams recorded his third consecutive multi-goal game as he recorded three shots overall while winning 9 of 17 aerial duels for the visitors in another impressive performance leading the forward line.

Scoring Summary
RI – JJ Williams (Frank Nodarse) 9’
RI – JJ Williams 78’
RI – Albert Dikwa 90+2’

Full Box Score