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Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Riverhounds escape Sacramento with nervy 1-0 win

Photo courtesy Sacramento Republic FC
USL Championship 

Riverhounds SC 1, Sacramento Republic FC 0

USL Match Center/Match Stats

Match Summary

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC continued its run of strong first half performances by scoring late in the first half, then hung on by a thread to hold off a Sacramento Republic second half barrage, to win 1-0 in the Golden State on Saturday night.

Edward Kizza scored the lone goal of the match in the 43rd minute, while Hounds keeper Eric Dick stood tall earning every bit of his seventh clean sheet of the season, making eight saves in facing plenty of pressure, especially in the second half of the match.  It was the most saves in a game by a Hounds goalie since Mauricio Vargas made eight stops in a 1-0 loss at FC Cincinnati on May 14, 2016.

It was also the Hounds’ first win in four all-time meetings with Sacramento (9-4-8), currently second in the Western Conference.  With the win, Pittsburgh (6w-9l-7d, 25 points) inched a little closer to the playoff line, as they now trail 7th and 8th place Detroit City FC and Rhode Island FC by four points.

The Hounds will now face Detroit City FC in a critical match on Wednesday night in Michigan.

Kizza broke through late in the first half, making a run into the box after the Hounds’ strong build-up play along the left side, that ended with Danny Griffin leading a ball into the inside left corner of the box that Kizza hit with a one-time strike that smashed the back of the net.

Sacramento finished the match with a 17-12 shots edge, with eight of those on target — six of them coming in the second half. But each time, Dick was there to deny the Western Conference’s second place team getting the equalizer.

Chances were hard to come by in the first half, and the closest the Hounds came for much of it was a left-footed shot by Danny Griffin that rolled just wide of goal from 15 yards in the 32nd minute.

Sacramento nearly went in front soon afterward, when Kieran Phillips played Jack Gurr in behind the Hounds’ defense. Junior Etou recovered well to prevent the winger from cutting back to his preferred right foot, and Gurr’s left-footed shot went wide of the goal with Dick advancing off his line.

Dick ended the half with a diving stop to deny Phillips, who nearly had the bottom right corner picked out, but the Hounds goalie would be much busier after the break.

Dick stopped an early chance by Luis Felipe, but his starring moment came in the 64th minute when he produced a double save, first denying Phillips again, and then going low but still tipping over Gurr’s attempt on the rebound.

In the 77th minute, Gurr tried his luck with a blistering shot from distance, but Dick impressed with a caught save that he showed no sign of bobbling.

The Hounds continued to defend with urgency, recording a pair of key blocked shots as the Republic had 78 percent of possession in the final 15 minutes. Kazaiah Sterling had a late chance on the counter that slid just wide of goal, and Dick made his final save of the night in stoppage time by covering a soft shot by Rafael Jauregui.

Match Live Thread (includes in-game commentary / updates)

FINAL: Riverhounds 1, Sacramento Republic FC 0

Riverhounds SC lineup (5-3-2) — Eric Dick; Junior Etou, Luke Biasi, Sean Suber, Illal Osumanu, Langston Blackstock; Jackson Walti, Danny Griffin, Robbie Mertz; Edward Kizza, Emmanuel Johnson

Sacramento Republic FC lineup (3-4-3) — Danny Vitiello; Conor Donovan, Jared Timmer, Shane Wiedt; Damia Viader, Justin Portillo, Luis Fernandes, Jack Gurr; Nick Ross, Kieran Phillips, Cristian Parano

Scoring summary

PIT — Edward Kizza 43’

Discipline summary

SAC — Jared Timmer 68’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Luke Biasi 79’ (caution – tactical foul)

What’s next?

The Hounds have a quick turnaround for their final midweek match of the season, when they will head back on the road to face Detroit City FC at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 7, in a match on CBS Sports Network. Detroit (8-7-5) drew 1-1 earlier today against Rhode Island FC

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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).

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