Pittsburgh Riverhounds battle first-place Richmond Kickers to a draw
By Larry Snyder
The Pittsburgh Riverhounds soccer club began their quest to make the 2013 USL PRO playoffs with a 0-0 draw with the Richmond Kickers back on April 6 in Virginia.
On a pleasant Saturday evening along the Monongahela River, the Hounds (10-8-8, 38 points) concluded the season with a 1-1 draw with the first-place Kickers in front of sellout crowd at Highmark Stadium.
Pittsburgh would capture the lead in the 65th minute when midfielder Rob Vincent intercepted a pass from the Kickers at midfield. Driving down the left flank, Vincent’s crossing pass was perfect to Jose Angulo, but Angulo needed a second effort to beat Richmond goalkeeper Andrew Dykstra as his first attempt popped directly up to him. Angulo would not miss again, as he drove the ball into the back of the net from inside the six-yard box.
The goal gave Angulo 34 points for the season, three ahead of Orlando City’s Dominic Dwyer for most points in the league. His team-leading 15th goal leaves him tied with Dwyer for most goals scored.
Richmond quickly brought the score back to even in the 68th minute of the match. Defender Shane Johnson hit substitue midfielder Joseph Ngwenya with a looping cross. Ngwenya redirected the cross over the shoulder of Pittsburgh goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap and into the left side-netting.
Pittsburgh’s Gilstrap and Richmond’s Dykstra had two saves each on the evening. The Hounds led on the scoresheet with 12 shots on goal to the Kickers’ seven.
Up Next: With the draw, Pittsburgh has secured at least a seventh-place finish in the USL PRO standings. Pending the results around the league on Saturday night, the Riverhounds could move up into sixth place.
If the Riverhounds remain in seventh place, they would face the Orlando City Lions (16-4-6, 54 points) next Saturday night at the Florida Citrus Bowl. Pittsburgh battled to a 0-0 tie with Orlando City on July 17 and then defeated the Lions 1-0 on Aug. 3.
If the Riverhounds finish in sixth place, they will face the Charleston Battery (13-7-6, 45 points) at Blackbaud Stadium next Saturday. Pittsburgh lost to Charleston 2-0 back on April 27 and the two teams battled to a 1-1 draw on June 15.
Richmond (15-1-10, 55 points) will welcome either the Dayton Dutch Lions or the Los Angeles Blues next Saturday night at City Stadium. Playoff start times will be announced this week.