Rapids Women dominate Fury and Rapids Men come up short

By: Alex Husting

Match 1

The Rapids Women are winners yet again, with a dominant 7-2 victory over the Fayetteville Fury. This makes two straight victories against the Fury and three straight overall, putting them one game under .500.

While the Fury scored first, the Rapids dominated the remainder of the game with seven goals coming from six different players, the best offensive performance of the season. Columbus outshot Fayetteville 35-21, including 13 shots in the first quarter.

After the first quarter goal from Fury forward Ashley Buchta, Kaliya Eutsey responded with the equalizer to tie the match up at the end of the first quarter. That late first quarter goal ignited the Rapids offense and Columbus reeled off five unanswered goals from the end of the first quarter to the fourth quarter. 

Olivia Jarrell, the leading scorer and possible MVP for the Rapids, was the second player to find the back of the net for Columbus. Jarrell and Brianna Conley led the way for Columbus in what was the best offensive performance of the season for the Rapids.

Conley was the key for the Rapids attack, with four assists and a goal of her own to lead the team with five total points, including four in the second half. 

Jarrell tied Ashlynn Jones for most goals in the NISL Women’s Division with another goal late in the fourth quarter, on an assist from Brianna Conley.

In tandem with a dominant offense, the Rapids defense was stout throughout the match. After giving up an early goal, the Rapids shut down the Fury, with goalkeeper Bria Riancho leading the way again. Rancho had 12 saves on 13 total shots against, finishing the match with 92% save percentage. 

On the Fury, goalkeeper Mayar Elgeyoshi struggled against the relentless Rapids attack, allowing five goals on 24 shots against. Elgeyoshi did save 19 of those shots, finishing the match with 92% save percentage. 

The Rapids Women have found their groove, scoring 16 goals in the last three matches after scoring just 17 goals in the first six matches. They will look to continue this run tomorrow when the Rome Gladiators come to town.

Match 2

The Fury Men were able to fend off a Rapids comeback with a late fourth quarter game-winner from Cameron Steele to seal a victory, Fayetteville’s seventh of the season. The Fury now have sole possession of first place in the NISL Men’s Division while Rapids Men fall to 2-7 and remain in third place.

The Fury took control on offense in the early going, with 15 shots in the first half, three of which resulted in goals. Fernando Castellanos and Marco Perez both found the back of the net in the first quarter for Fayetteville. 

Following a Rapids goal in the second quarter, the Fury responded with a goal from Horacio Gutierrez, which was assisted by goalkeeper Kenneth Perkinson. 

Outside of the lone first half goal from Ethan Alur, the Rapids’ offense struggled, with just seven shots through two quarters. 

The Rapids Men were able to rally from being down 3-1 at halftime, with Thomas Eskew tying the game in the fourth quarter. Brandon Cervantes scored almost immediately to cut the lead to one after Perkinson was caught out of position. 

After Eskew tied the match in the fourth quarter, both teams traded possessions and shots on goal before the Fury took the lead once and for all with the goal from Steele.

The Rapids went with a two goalkeeper system again, with Tevin West guarding the net in the first half and Freddy Zamudio working the second half. West saved eight shots but allowed three goals while Zamudio saved nine shots and allowed just one goal.

After the big upset victory over the Americans yesterday, the Rapids were looking to make it two-in-a-row tonight, but the Fury showed why they are the best team in the NISL Men’s Division. Columbus will look to bounce back tomorrow against the Gladiators.

Tickets for the Sunday match with the Rome Gladiators can be found here.

Season tickets remain available 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.