Pittsburgh Riverhounds enjoy home success, head to Toronto next
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer club struck first last Friday against F.A. Cup champion Wigan Athletic of England, but it was the visiting Latics who scored last at Highmark Stadium to win 4-1 at the Frank B. Fuhrer International Friendly.
Just three minutes into the match, forward Jose Angulo took the ball on the left flank, drove past three Wigan defenders, and sent a left-footed shot past goalkeeper Lee Nicholls that hit the bottom of the crossbar and dropped into the right-side netting.
Wigan Athletic got on the scoreboard in the 11th minute on a goal from Roger Espinoza from 25 yards out. Before the half-hour mark, forward Emerson Boyce sent a quality header into the net to give the Latics the lead.
Just three minutes into the second half, it was Grant Holt who tapped in a goal from inside the six yard box for Wigan. Jordi Gomez would finish the scoring for the Latics with a goal in the 88th minute of play.
Wigan ended its preseason USA tour 3-0 also victorious over the Columbus Crew of Major League Soccer on July 11 with a 2-1 score, and the Dayton Dutch Lions of USL Pro on July 17 by a 6-1 count.
The Hounds returned to USL Pro action on Sunday at home and defeated the Wilmington Hammerheads 2-1 along the banks of the Monongahela River.
This time it was forward Mike Seth who got Pittsburgh’s first goal in the 52nd minute on a perfect cross from midfielder Seth C’deBaca for an easy strike to the back of the net.
The Hammerheads’ Kyle Greig brought the match back to even with a goal in the 72nd minute. His shot from close range deflected off Hounds’ goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap to get Wilmington back in the match.
Just six minutes later, second-half substitute Matt Dallman found the game-winning goal. With Hammerheads’ goalkeeper Troy Fernandez out of position in front of the net, Dallman shot low to pick up his second goal of the season.
Wilmington held the advantage in shots, 10-7 on the scoresheet and in fouls 9-5, but it was Pittsburgh who brought home the victory.
Up Next: Pittsburgh will close out the month of July with a challenging match on the road as they take on the Toronto FC Reserves of Major League Soccer at BMO Field on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.
The Riverhounds will continue on the road on Friday, Aug. 2 when they visit Plant City Stadium at 7:30 p.m. for a match with the VSI Tampa Bay FC. The roadtrip makes a stop at the Florida Citrus Bowl on Saturday, August 3 at 7:30 p.m. for a rematch with the Orlando City Lions. Pittsburgh and Orlando battled to a 0-0 draw back on July 17 at Highmark Stadium.
Riverhounds Reinforcements: On Tuesday, Riverhounds’ Mike Seth and Andrew Marshall were named to the USL PRO Team of the Week. Seth had a goal and assist off the bench against the Hammerheads while Marshall helped the Hounds stay on track for a playoff spot.
Pittsburgh’s Matt Dahlman and Hunter Gilstrap were on the honorable-mention list for the USL PRO team of the week for Week 18.
On Sunday, July 21, the Under-15 Riverhounds Development Academy Lady Hounds lifted a trophy in Colorado, winning the U.S. Club Soccer National Championship against the West Coast Wild from California in the tournament’s highest SuperGroup bracket.
The U-15 girls squad was the first-ever full-time youth team sanctioned under the Pittsburgh Riverhounds for annual training and competition. In joining the program, the players and their families agreed to be guided by a professional club that had never operated a youth program in the past.
The Lady Hounds completed their season with a record of 18-2-5, taking titles at the Bethesda, Maryland Thanksgiving Shootout in November, the Triangle Friendlies of North Carolina in January, the Ultimate Cup held in Virginia in March, the Crossroads of America College Showcase in Indiana back in April, the Atlantic Soccer League Regular Season Champions in May, the Atlantic Soccer League Championships in North Carolina in June, and, finally culminating in the U.S. Club Soccer National Super Group Championships in Aurora, Colorado.