Rapids Men Shutout, Rapids Women lose in OT

By: Alex Husting

The Rapids returned home today looking to bounce back from being swept by the Memphis Americans over the weekend. The Rapids Men(4-10) continued to struggle on the offensive end and were shutout by the Fury(10-3) 7-0. The Rapids Women(4-10) have now lost five straight after a 4-3 OT loss to the Fury (3-10).

Match 1

The Rapids Men returned to the Columbus Civic Center looking to get back on track following a loss last week against the Memphis Americans. During that match, the Rapids finished with just 11 total shots and one goal. 

The offensive struggles continued again today for the Rapids who, despite 17 shots throughout the match, were shutout by the Fury in a 7-0 loss. After a season-high eight goals in the March 3 victory over the Gladiators, the Rapids Men have scored once in the last two matches.

Along with issues on offense, the Rapids Men had no answer for the Fury on defense. The Fury attack was constant with at least one goal scored in each quarter.

Nate Brady and Tim Williams led the way for the Fury with two goals each. Brady’s goals, which came in the second and fourth quarter, give him six this season, the third-most on the team. 

He also assisted the first goal of the game, which was scored by Sam Lister, his fourth of the year.

Williams now has three goals so far this season and recorded his first assist of the season on a goal from Eli Garner.

Diego Vallotta coordinated the offensive attack for the Fury today, finishing with a team-high three assists, giving him seven total this season.

Rapids goalkeeper Freddy Zamudio struggled against the Fayetteville attack, finishing the match with nine saves and six shots allowed, giving him a save percentage of 60%. The final goal of the match for the Fury came against an empty goal. 

Fury goalkeeper Kenneth Perkinson dominated once again, saving all 13 shots that he faced. That gives him 76 saves so far this season and just 27 goals allowed.

The Rapids Men were cold on offense for the second match in a row and they will have 10 days to rework the offense before they travel back to Fayetteville on March 20. That game can be watched live on the NISL Youtube Channel 

Match 2

The Rapids Women(4-10) entered the Thursday night matchup with the Fury on a four-match losing streak, with their last win coming against this same Fury(3-10) team on February 19. Despite having the lead at halftime and even forcing overtime on their home pitch, the Rapids fell in overtime 4-3 with Hailey Gomez winning it for the Fury.

As the Rapids looked to break that losing streak, they would be without their top goal scorers in Olivia Jarrell and Casey Hall. This led to Bria Riancho, normally the starting goalkeeper, taking over as a striker for Columbus, leaving Haley Ryan in goal. 

The Rapids Women were the aggressors throughout the match, finishing with 37 shots, 13 more than Fayetteville. 

Maddy Peterson scored first for Columbus just two and a half minutes into the match, giving the Rapids the lead in the first quarter. Kate Weisner responded with a goal 25 seconds into the second quarter, her eighth of the season and the most on the team.

As time wound down, Kaliya Eutsey took the lead back with 3:37 remaining in the first half and it was 2-1 as both teams headed to the locker room.

Ashley Buchta, who assisted the Weisner first-half goal, took over in the third quarter with two goals. The first came 35 seconds after the second half began, tying the game and taking away any momentum that Columbus had. Then, with 42 seconds left in the third, Buchta took the lead for the Fury, her seventh of the year, the second-most on the team.

The fourth quarter began and Columbus went on the attack with 14 total shots throughout the quarter. Bria Riancho tied things up with a free kick halfway through the quarter and then a defensive battle ensued. 

The Rapids were unable to capitalize on a few scoring opportunities and the game went to overtime. Columbus entered the period with a power play, but the Fury defense did not allow a goal.

The Fury soon went on the attack and a brilliant goal from Haley Gomez won the match for the Fury. Fury goalkeeper Mayar Elegyoshi was vital to the Fayetteville victory, with 20 saves on 23 shots against, 87% save percentage.

In relief for Riancho, Haley Ryan finished the match with 14 saves and four goals allowed, giving her a save percentage of 77.8%.

The Rapids Women were not able to end the losing streak, but their offense did find some rhythm after being shut out on Saturday. They will now have ten days before a March 20 showdown with the Fury, hopefully with Jarrell and Hall back in the lineup.

You can watch both matches in their entirety on the NISL Youtube Channel season tickets for all Rapids remaining home games are on sale here.

ABOUT NATIONAL INDOOR SOCCER LEAGUE (NISL): 

The National Indoor Soccer League, which has its league office in Georgia, was founded in January 2021 by a group of experienced sports team/league owners with over 40 years of ownership experience. The NISL has plans to grow the league nationally within the next three years and will kick off its inaugural season in December 2021. The league will operate a Men's & Women's division with each market fielding both teams. Fans will be able to watch a men’s and women’s game each gameday.  For more information, go to nislpro.com.