ASL: O’s Beat Fury in Stormy Conditions

High winds and heavy rains didn’t stop the Rhode Island Oceaneers from opening up their offense and grabbing a 3-2 win over the Philadelphia Fury on Saturday at Bryant University in Smithfield, R.I.

Rhode Island’s Anthony Baumann fired the opening salvo in the 22nd minute before Seydou Bah leveled it in the 56th minute. But the hosts quickly reclaimed the advantage on a 65th minute strike from Wilder Arboleda, while Sam Fonseca widened the gap in the 71st minute. The guests responded in stoppage time on a 92nd minute Amadou Sheriff goal, but it was too little, too late.

The win improved the Oceaneers’ mark to 2-3-3 (9 points) while the Fury fell to 3-4-2 (11 points).

With the wind to his back, Baumann put the Oceaneers on the board midway through the first half when he bent a 23-yard free kick over the wall and into the back of the net.

The Fury attempted to file a response before the break, but the combination of Rhode Island goalkeeper Chris Moura’s play and attacking against the wind made the task of finding a first-half equalizer particularly difficult.

But in the second half, the Fury began to impose their will on the match, and converted a chance before the hour when Bah beat Moura to level it.

Unhappy with the way the second stanza was unfolding, Oceaneers coach Jasir Charris introduced Emerson Barros and Jefferson Rojas in the hopes of getting more from his attack.

The substitutions proved to be masterstrokes, as Arboleda and Fonseca both scored shortly after, giving the hosts a two-goal margin in the latter stages.

Philadelphia, to its credit, would not bow easily, as Sheriff brought one back for the guests in stoppage time.

The Oceaneers will return to action on Nov. 11 when they hit the road to face fellow New England selection Mass United FC.