Rapids split series with the Fury

By: Alex Husting

The Rapids Women’s team won their second match of the season with a 6-3 victory while the Rapids Men lost their second straight match, 6-1.

Olivia Jarrell has been the leader for the Rapids Women on offense throughout the season, and she was yet again tonight, with the game-opening goal and two assists, all coming in the first half. 

Jarrell and the Rapids offense was on the attack all night, with 41 total shots in the match, a season high for Columbus. Outside of Jarrell, four other Rapids found the back of the net. Casey Hall and Brianna Conley each scored once in the first half, giving the Rapids a 3-0 lead heading into halftime. 

Danielle Gray scored her first goal of her NISL career in the third quarter, off an assist from Conley. Megan Byers scored her second goal of the season near the start of the first half and Hall scored again for the Rapids’ final goal of the night.

The Rapids shut down the Fury attack in the first half, limiting them to just 7 shots and no goals scored. Overall, the Rapids outshot the Fury 41-21, and despite three second half goals, the Rapids answered each time. 

Maddie Capel, Fayetteville’s second leading scorer, led the way for the Fury with two goals and Stephanie Quintanilla scored her first goal of the season late in the fourth quarter.

Bria Rancho was in goal yet again for the Rapids and she finished the game with 14 saves on 17 shots against, giving her a 82.4% save percentage. 

Behind strong offense and a tenacious defense, the Rapids won a crucial game as they head into a three game series next weekend.

The Rapids Men took the pitch next, coming off of a 6-3 loss to the Memphis Americans on January 22. The Rapids Men could not execute their scoring opportunities and fell to the Fury once again in a 6-1 defeat.

The Rapids Men also outshot the Fury 21-17, but where the Fury took advantage of scoring opportunities, the Rapids could not find success on the offensive end. 

Each team took nine shots in the first half, and while the Fury defense and goalkeeper Kenneth Perkinson held the Rapids to just one goal late in the second quarter, the Fury offense found the back of the net four times to take a commanding lead heading to the locker room. 

In the second half it was more of the same, with the Fury shutting the Rapids out and adding two more goals of their own. Despite getting 13 shots against Perkinson, Columbus failed to take advantage. 

On the defensive side, the Rapids struggled to contain a Fury attack that came from all sides, with six different players scoring in tonight’s match. Freddie Zamudio was goalkeeper for the Rapids and struggled, with six goals allowed on 14 shots against, giving him a save percentage of 57.1%. 

The Rapids will be back inside the Columbus Civic Center in one week when they take on the Memphis Americans once again. This is the start of a three-game home stretch over the weekend where the Rapids will face off with all 3 NISL teams ending with the Gladiators on Sunday, February 20. Tickets for that match are available here and 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.