Khano Smith’s Rhode Island Beat Hartford
Bermudian coach Khano Smith guided Rhode Island FC to a crucial derby victory on Saturday, with his side defeating regional rivals Hartford Athletic 1-0 at Centreville Bank Stadium.
Frank Nodarse scored the only goal of the match in the 20th minute, helping Rhode Island move above the playoff line and record their seventh clean sheet of the season across all competitions.
Rhode Island FC [5-5-4] applied pressure from the opening whistle, winning five corners and forcing Hartford goalkeeper Antony Siaha to make three saves inside the opening 20 minutes.
Siaha denied Nodarse’s close-range header in the 17th minute before producing a full-stretch save to keep out a driven effort from Nick Scardina two minutes later.
However, Nodarse broke the deadlock shortly afterwards to give Smith’s side the lead, with Rhode Island holding on to secure all three points against Hartford [4-4-7].
Rhode Island will next travel to face defending USL Championship winners Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC on Saturday, July 25 at 7pm.
The team will return to Centreville Bank Stadium on Saturday, August 8 to face Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC in a rematch of the 2024 USL Championship Final.
