Coach Khano Smith and his Rhode Island side fell at the final hurdle after losing the USL Championship final 3-0 to Colorado Springs.

Rhode Island became the first Eastern Conference team in league history to advance to the final in their first season but had no answer to Colorado, who dominated from the first whistle and took the advantage in the 22nd minute through Juan Tejada.

They doubled their advantage in the 42nd minute when Jairo Henriquez smashed into the roof of the net from the edge of the box and confirmed victory when Ronaldo Damus ran the full length of the pitch before slotting past Rhode Island goalkeeper Koke Vegas.

Smith, although pleased with his side’s run to the Championship game, was disappointed with the performance.

“We knew they were going to press us, but it’s one thing preparing to deal with pressure and then once you’re in the moment and facing it, it's different," Smith said after the match.

“We couldn’t handle it, they pressed us good. We need to see why that was but, again, credit to them. I thought they were excellent.

“I don’t think we played well but overall I’m so proud of them. When we have time to reflect we should be really proud of what we’ve done and what they’ve done. This is just the beginning and we were beaten by a club that’s been around for ten years. We’ve been around for one so that’s what we're chasing and that's what we want to be.”