Pawtucket, R.I. – The two teams battling for the final playoff position in the USL Championship Eastern Conference faced off Saturday night, with host Rhode Island FC scoring a second-half goal and surviving a frantic finish for a 1-0 win. With six games left in the regular season, Indy Eleven trails Rhode Island by one point.
The Boys in Blue started all three of their players acquired on loan in the last 10 days, with goalkeeper Luke Pruter and defender Joey Zalinsky making their Indy Eleven and USLC debuts.
Pruter, on loan from Columbus Crew 2, made two saves, including a 76th-minute stop on Noah Fuson’s left-footed shot from just outside the six to keep his team within a goal.
Zalinsky, on loan from St. Louis CITY SC of MLS, led the Boys in Blue with three tackles won, adding a chance created, a block, an aerial duel won, and a foul won.
Schaefer, on loan from FC Cincinnati 2, made his second consecutive start and recorded two tackles won and two aerial duels won.
Defender Ben Ofeimu made a key block of a JJ Williams shot in the fourth minute to keep things even early.
The Boys in Blue had their best chance of the first half in the 31st minute when captain Cam Lindley started the sequence with a steal and a pass to Maalique Foster. Foster made a quick pass to James Murphy who delivered a left-footed feed to Jack Blake. Blake touched the ball down and dribbled once to the right to create space to fire a shot from outside the area that Rhode Island goalkeeper Koke Vegas dove to his left to save.
After Rhode Island took a 1-0 lead in the 64th minute, Indy Eleven brought on forwards Elvis Amoh and Edward Kizza in the 79th. Just after Kizza entered, Zalinsky played a cross to him inside the area for a scoring chance.
In the 88th minute, Lindley played a long ball just outside the area where Kizza drew a red card on Aimé Mabika. On the ensuing free kick, Blake curled it around the wall toward the far corner, but Vegas again dove to his left to make the stop.
A Rhode Island hand ball gave the Boys in Blue a free kick in the 92nd minute. Lindley curled a ball toward the far post for a header by James Musa that was deflected directly to Amoh. His shot from inside the six was cleared off the line by Grant Stoneman to preserve the margin.
Indy Eleven hosts Birmingham Legion FC on Sunday, September 21 at 5 pm on Hispanic Heritage Night at Carroll Stadium.
Single-game tickets for all matches are available via Ticketmaster. Flex Plan, Group, and Hospitality tickets are available here. For questions, call (317) 685-1100 during business hours or email tickets@indyeleven.com.
- USL Championship
Indy Eleven 0:1 Rhode Island FC - Sat., Sept. 13, 2025 – 7:00 p.m.
- Centreville Bank Stadium | Pawtucket, R.I.
- Weather: Cloudy, 64 degrees
- Attendance: 8,498
2025 USL Championship Records
Indy Eleven: 7-12-5 (-7), 26 pts; #9 in Eastern Conference
Rhode Island FC: 7-11-6 (-7), 27 pts; #8 in Eastern Conference
| Score | 1 | 2 | F |
| Indy Eleven | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Rhode Island FC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
- Scoring Summary
- RI – Own Goal 64’
- Discipline Summary
- IND – Ben Ofeimu (caution) 19’
- RI – Zach Herivaux(caution) 23’
- IND – James Musa (caution) 45’+2
- RI – Noah Fuson (caution) 54’
- RI – Aimé Mabika (ejection) 88’
- IND – Elvis Amoh (ejection) 90’+2
Indy Eleven Line-Up: Luke Pruter, James Musa, Brian Schaefer, Ben Ofeimu, Joey Zalinsky (Elliot Collier 85’), Cam Lindley (captain), Jack Blake, James Murphy (Edward Kizza 79’), Maalique Foster, Romario Williams (Elvis Amoh 78’), Bruno Rendón.
Indy Eleven Subs Not Used: Josh O’Brien, Finn McRobb, Brem Soumaoro, Ryan Hunsucker.
Rhode Island FC Line-Up: Koke Vegas (captain), Hugo Bacharach, Aimé Mabika, JJ Williams, Noah Fuson, Frank Nodarse (Clay Holstad 45’), Jojea Kwizera (Albert Dikwa 66’), Joe Brito (Grant Stoneman 82’), Zach Herivaux (Maxi Rodriguez 67’), Karifa Yao, Amos Shapiro-Thompson (Marc Ybarra 66’).
Rhode Island FC Subs Not Used: Dwayne Atkinson, Jackson Lee.
