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FINAL: Riverhounds SC 2, Charleston Battery 2

Photo courtesy Charleston Battery / USL

Riverhounds SC 2, Charleston Battery 2 (FINAL)

USL Championship Match Center

Recap

It was a tale of two halves.

The Riverhounds came out clicking on all cylinders, taking an early two-goal lead thanks to play making abilities of midfielder Kenardo Forbes, who assisted Kevin Kerr on the opener in the 5th minute, then flicked a goal past Charleston goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky in the 11th minute.

Deep in the second half, the Hounds faded.

The Battery pulled one back when Zeiko Lewis buried a penalty in the 76th minute to give the hosts a lifeline after a Thomas Vancaeyezeele foul in the box. Then, in the 81st minute, the Battery found their equalizer when substitute Nicque Daley dribbled past a pair of Riverhounds SC defenders and curled an effort past goalkeeper Kyle Morton to earn the draw.

“I think it’s a game we’re going to regret right now, but we need to move forward,” head coach Bob Lilley said. “It’s typically a good result in Charleston. I thought we battled well. I thought we were ready to play. I thought we executed the game plan really well. In the second half, we lost our way a bit and they had the momentum when they got the penalty.”

The after being outshot 5-1 in the first half, the Battery held the overall edge in shots (8-7, 4-3 on target), and held 54 percent possession on the evening.

The Hounds are now 2-1-5 overall, with 11 points. The Battery line up with a 4-1-3 overall record, good for 15 points.

With his score, Kerr tied Corey Hertzog for the third-most league goals (27) in club history.

(Editor’s note: 2+2 = a #MayTheFourth, fourth 2-2 draw for the Hounds this season, or something like that… I’m still trying to make sense of it all. Look for my takeaways/player grades on Sunday)

Lineups:

Riverhounds SC – Kyle Morton – Ryan James, Tobi Adewole, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Joe Greenspan, Jordan Dover – Kevin Kerr, Kenardo Forbes, Sammy Kahsai (Uchenna Uzo 70’), Anthony Velarde (Neco Brett 80’) – Christian Volesky (Steevan Dos Santos 79’)

Subs not used: Austin Pack, Noah Franke, Dani Rovira

Charleston Battery – Joe Kuzminsky – O’Brian Woodbine, Taylor Mueller, Kyle Nelson (Angelo Kelly-Rosales 67’) – Jarad van Schaik (Dante Marini 77’), Vincenzo Candela, Tah Anunga, Nicholas Rittmeyer – Zeiko Lewis, Arthur Bosua, Romario Piggott (Nicque Daley 64’)

Subs not used: Robert Beebe, Phil Breno, Kierron Mason, A.J. Paterson

Scoring Summary:

PIT – Kevin Kerr 5’ (Kenardo Forbes)

PIT – Kenardo Forbes 12’ (Ryan James)

CHS – Zeiko Lewis 76’ (penalty)

CHS – Nicque Daley 81’ (Zeiko Lewis)

Misconduct Summary:

CHS – Tah Anunga 14’ (caution)

PIT – Joe Greenspan 20’ (caution)

CHS – O’Brian Woodbine 44’ (caution)

CHS – Jarad van Schaik 45’ (caution)

CHS – Romario Piggott 45’+1 (caution)

CHS – Arthur Bosua 79’ (caution)

 

Gameday Updates

 

2nd half 

9:26 – FINAL – it ends in yet another 2-2 result for the Hounds, as they fail to preserve a two-goal lead on the road.

9:16 – GOAL – Equalizer for Charleston! Nique Daley goes deep into the box, beating a number of Hounds defenders, and puts it past Morton!  It’s now 2-2.

9:14 – Steevan Dos Santos and Neco Brett come in for two guys that have expended a lot of energy on a humid Charleston night — Anthony Velarde and Christian Volesky.

9:10 – GOAL: Lewis converts the PK!  (Pittsburgh leads now 2-1)

Lewis converts it — and you can feel the momentum of the match switch. Plenty of time for the Battery to get the equalizer.

9:09 – PENALTY – Thomas Vancaeyezeele with push off in box — setting up a PK chance for Charleston.

9:04 – first sub for Hounds. Uchenna Uzo in for Sammy Kahsai.  66′

9:01 – Few nervous moments there for Hounds fans — when GK Kyle Morton has to come to ball in box, where he’s struggled this year, but Charleston can’t convert either time.

Included Charleston attempt missed. Tah Anunga left footed shot from the center of the box is too high following a corner.

8:55 – Zeiko Lewis sends a shot over the crossbar. 63′

8:53 – Forbes keeps it alive on end line — and delivers to Volesky. Header just misses wide right. 61′

 

Halftime stats

Some key stats:
Possession: CHS 51/49
Shots: PGH 5-1, 3-0 on target
Crosses: CHS 6-4
Yellow cards: CHS 4-1
Hounds play makers have made plays in big moments.
Charleston can’t do much in final third

 

1st half

8:26 – half ends with Hounds in command, 2-0.

8:24 – another yellow card assessed to Charleston. This time, Romario Pigget for a late challenge at midfield, but it might have been a bad call.

8:20 – Volesky tripped up with a clear path to goal, and O’Brien Woodbine gets a yellow card. Then Jared van Shiak walks off the distance from where the wall is set up, and is also assessed with a yellow card.  Lots of frustration coming from Charleston. Volesky wasn’t happy either, wanted a red card as he did have a clear path.

Hounds try free kick with Greenspan blasting it low but it was deflected and cleared away.

8:13 p.m. – Close call for Hounds, maybe Charleston’s best chance. Yellow Card: Greenspan’s pass is blocked, and ball heads backward. Beat to ball by Arthur Bosua just outside the box. Greenspan takes down the Charleston forward — and earns a yellow.

Charleston free kick is dangerous, but it was Big Joe with the clearance.

7:50 p.m. – GOAL – Kenardo Forbes (Riverhounds lead 2-0)

Hounds cooking it up early and often — picking up where they left off late last week!
Kenardo Forbes redirects a nice ball in from Ryan James, flicking it over Charleston keeper Joe Kuzminsky
Sammy Kahsai started it with nice switch to James.
With his goal, Kevin Kerr ties Corey Hertzog for the third-most league goals (27) in club history.

7:41 p.m. – GOAL – Kevin Kerr (Riverhounds lead 1-0)

Kenardo Forbes plays a nice through ball to the veteran striker — who puts it through for the early lead.

Starting lineups will be posted here around 7 p.m.

Hounds starting XI:

The Hounds really going with some new faces in starting lineup tonight:

Image

Game Details:

May 4, 2019 – 7:30 p.m. kickoff

Location: MUSC Health Stadium, Charleston, SC

Television: Pittsburgh’s CW

StreamingESPN+

Live StatisticsUSL Championship Match Center

Live Updates: Twitter at @RiverhoundsSC and #CHSvPIT

Hounds Injury Report

  • Mouhamed Dabo – Out (hamstring)
  • Prosper Figbe – Out (knee)
  • Ben Lundgaard – Out (back)
  • Caleb Smith – Out (groin)

Pregame notes:

  • This will be the Hounds’ first away match since the team defeated Louisville City FC, 1-0, on April 6. Pittsburgh has not lost against Charleston on the road since 2015, holding a 1-0-2 away record over this stretch.
  • The Battery have been strong at home this season, holding a 3-0-1 record at MUSC Health Stadium. The club currently has won two straight matches, defeating Memphis 901 FC and Nashville SC.
  • Last year, the Battery held the upper hand in the series, going 1-0-1 against the Hounds.
  • The Hounds have yet to drop a match since their season opener against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The club is one of three teams in the entire USL Championship to have an unbeaten streak of at least six games (Tampa Bay Rowdies and Fresno FC).
  • Pittsburgh has had recent success against the Battery on the road, not losing a game at Charleston since 2015. The Black and Gold hold a 1-0-2 record at Charleston over the course of this stretch.
  • The Black and Gold rank 14th in the Eastern Conference in total shots (74) and place fifth in the conference in conversion rate (17.5 percent).
  • Pittsburgh has scored 10 goals thus far in the 2019 campaign. Seven different players have recorded a goal for the club. Three of these 10 goals came from the penalty spot. Another tally saw the Hounds as beneficiaries of an own goal.
  • Eight of the Hounds’ 10 goals this year have come in the second half of games, but the team has more first half shots (38) than second half shots (36). Looking further, all three of Pittsburgh’s penalty kick goals, as well as the beneficial own goal, occurred in the second half.
  • Defender Joe Greenspan leads the club with 52 clearances, which ranks second in the USL Championship.
  • Defender Ryan James is on pace for 116 interceptions this season. Since the statistic has been tracked by the league in 2017, this would shatter the Hounds’ previous club high of 96 interceptions set by Taylor Washington in 2017.
  • James, Greenspan and midfielder Thomas Vancaeyezeele are the only Hounds to have played every minute of the 2019 campaign thus far.
  • The Charleston Battery and Riverhounds SC are the last two members of the Old Guard Shield competing in the USL Championship. This past season, Penn FC went on hiatus and the Richmond Kickers have moved to USL League One. The Rochester Rhinos went on hiatus in 2017.

PSN coverage this week and more

Riverhounds SC Notebook: Pack signed; injuries test roster depth

View From The Booth: First seven haven’t been Hound heaven

Ryan James earns spot on USL Championship Team of the Week

 

 

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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