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Pittsburgh Riverhounds

FINAL: Riverhounds SC 1, Louisville City 0

The Riverhounds SC knocked off defending USL Champion Louisville City at Slugger Field on Wednesday evening.

Kenardo Forbes‘ late second half goal was the difference in a tightly contested match.

 

“In the second half, I thought we were better,” head coach Bob Lilley said. “The first 25-30 minutes were good. I thought we looked like we were more likely to score. We brought our subs in – they looked like they were going to impact the game. Good through-ball by [Kenardo Forbes], good run by [Romeo Parkes] and we got in behind them.”

Pittsburgh nearly opened the scoring in the 23rd minute when Neco Brett sent a through ball for Christiano Francois who got through one-on-one with Greg Ranjitsingh. But the Louisville keeper stood tall, Ranjitsingh making an impressive double save to keep it scoreless. Louisville thought it had the opener in the 58th minute when Paolo Del Piccolo had the ball in the back of the net but his effort was denied for a foul on Hounds’ keeper Dan Lynd.

With two of the strongest teams in the league doing battle it was unsurprising that it took until the 79th minute for the opener as Romeo Parkes found some room on the left side after receiving a ball from Forbes to move into the final third — then sent a ball into the box. After a deflection, Forbes sent it home for his first ever goal with the club, giving Pittsburgh only its second win ever at Louisville.

Lynd was unbeatable in the Riverhounds’ goal, making five saves, a number of them stunning and late, vital to giving his team a point.

With the win, the Hounds improve to 7-1-7, and now sit alone in second place in USL’s Eastern Conference trailing front running FC Cincinnati by three points after their 3-3 draw at Toronto FC. The Hounds have a game at hand with FCC.

Matt Gajtka will provide a more detailed game recap with post game reaction from Louisville a bit later.

 

Stat of the Game
With the shutout, the Hounds improve their season goals-against average to 0.47, which is the best mark in club history.

Beyond the Box Score

  • Kevin Kerr moves past Gary DePalma for sole possession of second all-time in club history with 146 appearances.
  • Playing his 10th career game with the club, goalkeeper Dan Lynd is first all-time in club history with a 0.64 goals-against average, including keepers with a minimum of 10 appearances.
  • Lynd also recorded his seventh shutout of the season and his Hounds career. He now moves into sole possession of fourth all-time in club history for the statistic, breaking a tie with former keeper Trey Mitchell.
  • The Hounds are yet to allow a goal with defender Joe Greenspan on the field (376 minutes).

What’s Next
Riverhounds SC returns home for its first-ever meeting with North Carolina FC (4-7-3) at 7 p.m. on July 4 at Highmark Stadium. After the match, fans are welcome to stay and watch the Pittsburgh Point State Park fireworks display light up the city skyline from their seats at Highmark Stadium.

Lineups:

Riverhounds SC – Dan Lynd – Ray Lee, Todd Pratzner, Joe Greenspan, Hugh Roberts, Jordan Dover – Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Kenardo Forbes (Andrew Lubahn 90+6’) – Kevin Kerr (Mouhamed Dabo 63’), Christiano François (Romeo Parkes 63’) – Neco Brett

Subs not used: Mike Kirk, Tobi Adewole, Kay Banjo, Joe Holland

Louisville City FC – Gregory Ranjitsingh – Paco Craig, Sean Totsch, Kyle Smith – Shaun Francis (Brian Ownby 67’), Devon Williams, Paolo DelPiccolo, Oscar Jimenez (Pat McMahon 74’) – George Davis IV, Magnus Rasmussen – Ilija Ilic (Cameron Lancaster 78’)

Subs not used: Tim Dobrowolski, Chris Hubbard, Niall McCabe, Alexis Souahy

Scoring Summary:
PGH – Kenardo Forbes 79’

Misconduct Summary:
PGH – Mouhamed Dabo 75’ (caution)
LOU – Paco Craig 85’ (caution)

John Krysinsky has covered soccer and other sports for many years for various publications and media outlets. He is also author of 'Miracle on the Mon' -- a book about the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, which chronicles the club, particularly the early years of Highmark Stadium with the narrative leading up to and centered around a remarkable match that helped provide a spark for the franchise. John has covered sports for Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, DK Pittsburgh Sports, Pittsburgh Sports Report, has served as color commentator on Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC broadcasts, and worked with OPTA Stats and broadcast teams for US Open Cup and International Champions Cup matches held in the US. Krysinsky also served as the Head Men’s Soccer Coach at his alma mater, Point Park University, where he led the Pioneers to the first-ever winning seasons and playoff berths (1996-98); head coach of North Catholic boys (2007-08), associate head coach of Shady Side Academy boys (2009-2014).

Glory on the Grass

Riverhounds MF Kenardo Forbes

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