OFFICIAL SITE OF THE
NATIONAL INDOOR SOCCER LEAGUE
National Indoor Soccer League
Rapids Swept, outscored by Americans 21-6
By: Alex Husting
After a competitive first half, the Memphis Americans (12-5) outscored the Rapids Men (4-12) 8-1 in the second half, defeating Columbus 13-5. The Rapids Women (5-11) tried to build on the overtime victory from Sunday, but they fell to the Memphis Women(14-2) 8-1.
Match 1
The Rapids Men have struggled on the defensive side in recent matches and yesterday was more of the same with Columbus falling to Memphis 13-5. The first half of the match was a back-and-forth battle but the Americans took control in the second half on the way to victory.
On March 3, the Rapids Men defeated the Rome Gladiators in their best match of the year, scoring a season-high eight goals in the contest. In the four matches following that victory, the Rapids Men have been outscored 37-8.
Ethan Alur got the scoring started for Columbus, tying the match at 1-1 before the Americans took back the lead a few minutes later.
The Americans extended their lead with an early goal in the second quarter but the Rapids countered when Freddy Zamudio, playing in the field for Columbus, scored once again this season, cutting the deficit to one.
Memphis answered back and held a 4-2 lead as the clock winded down in the first half. The Rapids were looking to close the gap before halftime and they did just that with two goals in the final three minutes of first half action.
The first was scored by Niall Torricelli, his fifth of the season and closing deficit to 4-3 with 2:45 left in the half.
Less than 45 seconds later, Sergio Barragan scored his first goal of the year and tied things up with 2 minutes remaining in the half.
Memphis scored one last time, taking a 5-4 lead into the locker room, but Columbus closed the gap and had a lot of momentum heading into halftime.
The success continued for the Rapids in the second half with Jacob Kisner found the back of the net as well, the fifth different goal scorer for the Rapids, and tied the game once again.
Despite the Rapids having most of the momentum, the Americans responded quickly, recapturing the lead and keeping it for the remainder of the half.
The Memphis offense exploded for eight combined goals in the second half, four in each quarter, as a hard-fought battle quickly became a rout. The Americans defeated the Rapids with a season-high score of 13-5, the second straight match where the Rapids gave up 13 goals.
This was a crucial match for Memphis as they look to keep pace with the first-place Fury.
As for the Rapids, the skid continues, specifically on the defensive side. They will have over a week to make adjustments before they return to the pitch inside the Columbus Civic Center on March 31 when they take on the Americans.
Match 2
The Rapids Women headed to Memphis hoping to build off of a big overtime victory over the Fury. While Columbus started the match well, the Americans quickly took control and soon ran away with the victory 8-1.
Brianna Conley scored the first goal of the match, her third in two matches, giving the Rapids an early lead, but it would not last.
The Americans responded with a goal of their own, tying the match at 1-1. Both teams traded attacks but the first quarter ended in that tie.
Memphis extended its lead in the second quarter, finding the back of the net twice and heading to the locker room up 3-1.
The Americans’ offense came alive with four goals in the third quarter, putting the match seemingly out of reach and ending the quarter with a 7-1 lead.
Memphis coasted through the fourth quarter, adding one more goal with just over five minutes remaining in the match to cap off a 8-1 victory.
This victory comes a mere few days removed from the Americans clinching the NISL Women’s Division. For the Rapids Women, the up-and-down season continues, only two days since the heroic overtime victory over the Fury.
The playoff push will continue as the Rapids Women will look to stay ahead of the Fury with the postseason on the horizon. There are only two games left before the playoffs begin, and the Rapids Women will be back in action on March 31 to take on the Memphis Americans inside the Columbus Civic Center.
Tickets for that match are available here.
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.