Pittsburgh Riverhounds finish May undefeated in league play

It was a chilly night along the banks of the Monongahela River at Highmark Stadium, but 1,515 faithful of the the Steel Army were on hand to cheer the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer club to a 2-0 shutout of the Antigua Barracuda FC last Friday. With the victory, the Hounds finished the month of May undefeated (2-0-3) in USL PRO play.

Pittsburgh found the back of the net against Barracuda goalkeeper Molvin James in the 18th minute when forward Michael Seth, set up by midfielder Matt Dallman, softly volleyed home from just inside the penalty area.

Credit: USL PRO/Riverhounds

The Hounds added their second goal of the night at the 39th minute when forward  Jhonny Arteaga angled a pass to Dallman that allowed the midfielder to strike with his left foot from 15 yards. Dallman’s shot skipped past James and into the right side-netting for his first goal of the 2013 season.

Riverhounds’ goalkeeper Greg Blum, who played his college soccer for Slippery Rock University, picked up his first win this season in USL PRO action. In two games this season, Blum has 12 saves.

Pittsburgh (2-4-4 overall) remains at home on Saturday when the Rochester Rhinos rumble into Highmark Stadium at 7 p.m. The Rhinos are in next-to-last place in the USL PRO standings with a record of 1-6-2 and five points this season.

On Friday, June 7, the Hounds will take on the Toronto FC of Major League Soccer with a White Out T-shirt giveaway, sponsored by Highmark.

Riverhounds Reinforcements: In Friday’s game against Antigua Barracuda FC, the two goals scored by Mike Seth and Matt Dallman earned over $5,500 dollars for the victims of the tornado that hit Moore, Okla., last week. Hounds corporate partners Highmark, Shallenberger Construction, 84 Lumber, and Century United Soccer Club each pledged to donate $500 per goal to the American Red Cross, thus making each goal scored by Pittsburgh worth $2,000.

On Tuesday, Pittsburgh midfielder Matt Dallman was named to the USL PRO Team of the Week for Week 10 of the season. This is Dallman’s fourth time on the Team of the Week in 2013, and it is the second consecutive week in a row for the honor. He is the USL PRO leader in assists with six, followed by Nathaniel Robinson of the Richmond Kickers and Jamie Watson of Orlando City, who have five assists each.

The Hounds will have their first Fireworks Night at Highmark Stadium on Saturday, June 15 when the Charleston Battery come to town at 7 p.m. The second Fireworks Night is set for the regular-season finale against the Richmond Kickers on Saturday, Aug. 17.