Pittsburgh Riverhounds tie Wednesday, in action Friday and Sunday
By Larry Snyder
It was a hot, muggy evening on Wednesday at Highmark Stadium in Station Square as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer club battled to a 0-0 draw against the first-place Orlando City Lions. In a battle of the goalkeepers, the Hounds’ Hunter Gilstrap had a total of seven saves while the Lions’ Jonathan Kempin had five on the night.
The shots were almost even with Orlando City (11-2-6) putting up 12, while Pittsburgh racked up 13. The Lions held one advantage in the match with 12 corners to the Riverhounds’ three. The fouls were also close with Pittsburgh checking in on the scoresheet with 10 and Orlando City with nine.
The Hounds are 2-2-1 in the second half of the USL Pro season and are in ninth place in the standings, only five points short of a playoff berth. Pittsburgh overall is 5-6-7 with a total of 22 points. The top eight teams make the playoffs in the USL Pro league.
Up Next: Pittsburgh is back in action on Friday as they take on the current F.A. Cup champion Wigan Athletic FC from England in the first annual Frank B. Fuhrer International Friendly and Fireworks.
Wigan Athletic defeated the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer in a friendly on Saturday, July 13. It is the first-ever international friendly held at the nation’s newest soccer stadium.
The Hounds close out their July home league schedule against the Wilmington Hammerheads, who are in 10th place in the USL Pro standings – just one point back of Pittsburgh – on Sunday at 3 p.m. It is the first meeting of the 2013 season between the two teams. Wilmington is 6-9-3 to go along with 21 points.
Riverhounds Reinforcements: Pittsburgh will close out the month of July on the road with a match against the Toronto FC Reserves of MLS at BMO Field on Saturday, July 27 at 4:30 p.m.
The Hounds have six league games remaining in the month of August. Four of the them will be on the road against VSI Tampa Bay FC; Orlando City; the Rochester Rhinos; and the Wilmington Hammerheads.
Pittsburgh will be back at Highmark Stadium in Station Square on Sunday, August 11 at 3:30 p.m. against Tampa Bay and Saturday, August 17 at 7 p.m. against the Richmond Kickers.