Pittsburgh Riverhounds Weekly: Unbeaten streak comes to an end
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer club saw their 10-game unbeaten streak slip away on a pleasant Fourth of July evening along the Monongahela River, as they lost to the Charlotte Eagles 3-2 before a sold-out Highmark Stadium.
The Hounds got on the scoreboard with goals from forward Darren Amoo and defender Andrew Marshall while the Eagles drew even before the half with goals from midfielders Jorge Herrara and Nate Thornton.
Charlotte claimed victory in the 72nd minute of the match when midfielder Stephen Okai drove the ball towards the penalty spot and into a crowd in front of the goal. The ball struck the top of the head of the Hounds’ Marshall and went past goalkeeper Hunter Gilstap for an own goal. Marshall was in the box defending Eagles’ defender Fejiro Okiomah at the time.
The Riverhounds outshot the Eagles 17-8, but Charlotte goalkeeper Eric Reed came up with nine saves on the night.
On a warm, muggy Saturday night, the Los Angeles Blues would rally back with two goals in the second half to grab a 2-1 victory over the Riverhounds in Station Square.
Forward Jose Angulo would score his 11th goal of the season by passing the ball around the Blues’ goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski and into the back of the net in the 21st minute to give the Hounds a 1-0 lead in the first half.
Los Angeles defender Duach Jock tied the game in the 67th minute when he got the rebound on midfielder Rodrigo Lopez’s free kick and poked the ball past Hounds’ goalkeeper Greg Blum to make the score 1-1. Then in the 89th minute, forward George Davis sent a cross between two Hounds defenders which forward Matthew Fondy was able to volley from six yards out pass Blum to give the Blues a 2-1 victory.
An old concern came back to haunt the Riverhounds in the loss to Los Angeles. In three of Pittsburgh’s six losses this season, the defeat has come from allowing a goal in the 89th minute or later in the match. The other two late losses came in April. Also, for the second game in three days, the Hounds held the edge in shots 17-14 over the Blues.
Next Up: July continues to be a good month for opportunites to see the Riverhounds in action at Highmark Stadium with USL Pro home games on July 17 and 21 to go along the international friendly on July 19.
On Wednesday, July 17, Pittsburgh (5-6-6) will take on first-place Orlando City (10-2-4). The game is set for 7 p.m. It will be the first match between the two clubs this season.
The first Frank B. Fuhrer International Friendly and Fireworks will see the Hounds take on the F.A. Cup champion, Wigan Athletic FC on Friday, July 19 at 7 p.m.
The final home game for the month of July is Sunday, July 21 as the Riverhounds host the Wilmington Hammerheads (6-8-3) at 3 p.m. It is also the first match between the two clubs this season.
Riverhounds Reinforcements: On Tuesday, the Riverhounds’ Jose Angulo and midfielder Matt Dallman were on the honorable mention list for the USL PRO team of the week for Week 16.
Angulo leads Pittsburgh and is second in the league in goals scored with 11 this season. Dallman continues to lead the team and the league in assists with 12.
Marshall is tied with Joao Inacio de Jesus of Phoenix FC Wolves for the lead in fouls in the league with 27 each.
Gilstrap is tied for third with Andrew Dykstra of the Richmond Kickers for most draws by a goalkeeper with six apiece this season.