Hounds hang on, battle FCC to 1-1 draw

The Riverhounds came out flying early, then held on for a hard-fought 1-1 draw at FC Cincinnati on Saturday afternoon before 22,643 fans at Nippert Stadium in a battle that matched contrasting tactics and styles.
With the result, the Hounds pushed its unbeaten streak to five games as their record now stands at 8-8-10, good for 34 points.  The Hounds surged to an early lead as Corey Hertzog scored his 11th goal of the season in the third minute, but as FC Cincinnati turned the tide, using every inch of the field to dominate possession (65% to 35%), hold the edge in corner kicks (10-1) and open play crosses (22-2) in a match of two teams with contrasting styles and tactics, the Hounds held on for dear life.
“I thought we had a good plan, and it remained a good plan the whole game, but it was a matter of executing it,” Dave Brandt, Hounds head coach, said, in his team’s efforts to play narrow and direct, trying to frustrate FCC’s rhythm. “We got a little bit stretched out, and it made it a little hard for us to do what we wanted to do on both sides of the ball. But I give the guys credit. It was a tough environment. We wanted three points, but we got one point on the road.”

FOR COMPLETE IN-DEPTH GAME RECAP — YOU CAN READ MY STORY ON DK PITTSBURGH SPORTS.