Riverhounds Bob Lilley on draw in Detroit: ‘It’s not what we were after, but we’ll take the point’

Photo courtesy Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

On Wednesday night, neither the Pittsburgh Riverhounds nor Detroit City FC could find a breakthrough in a tightly contested 0-0 draw at Keyworth Stadium.

**PSN’s Instant Match Recap**

https://pittsburghsoccernow.com/2024/08/07/riverhounds-vs-detroit-instant-recap/

Goalkeeper Eric Dick needed to make only two saves for his second straight shutout for the Hounds (6-9-8), while Detroit (8-7-6) goalie Nathan Steinwascher only had to make one stop despite the Hounds having a 9-7 edge in shots — all which came in the second half.

The Hounds are now unbeaten in their past five matches (3-0-2) and sit just three points back of the playoff line in the Eastern Conference.

After the match, Head Coach Bob Lilley and Eric Dick shared their thoughts.

“At the end of the game, we pushed. We had a better second half.  We had a good start, but they started to push the gaps, so we were lucky on a few occasions in the first half,” Riverhounds SC Head Coach Bob Lilley.

In the past three seasons since the two clubs began playing each other in 2022, they’ve now played to a draw each time at Keyworth Stadium, with the last two times neither side able to break through with a goal.

It was still a very intense match between two teams in desperate need of a result, but neither side would budge.

Dick came up big when needed, including a quick reaction save which denied Elvis Amoh’s close range chance.

It wasn’t quite like the previous match when had to make eight saves in Pittsburgh’s win at Sacramento on Saturday. Instead, the Hounds kept Detroit at distance for most of the match.

“I wasn’t as busy because the guys in front of me were shutting things down and working their butts off,” Dick said.

“My role is to move the pieces in front of me. Maybe I don’t touch the ball as much, but when it does come my way, I have to be locked in, and ready to go.”

“We have a good energy, we’re hungry,” Dick added.

“This time of year, we need all that. We need to be hungry. We’re not trying to look too far ahead. Every game is a different game. This group has a good energy going forward.”

Despite being held without a shot in the first half, Pittsburgh responded positively in the second half, with nine shots — and one on target coming from a Kenardo Forbes free kick.

While the Hounds couldn’t get closer to Detroit in the standings, but each club did inch ahead in the standings.

With 11 matches to go, Pittsburgh will take any bit of forward progress.

“Look, I’m proud of the guys. We talk a lot about creating more chances, making the keeper work more, but Detroit’s a tough team to break down,” Lilley said.

“It’s not what we were after, but we’ll take the point.”

The Riverhounds will have a short turnaround, as they return home to face San Antonio FC, at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night (7 p.m. kickoff).

Following this result, the latest look at the Eastern Conference table, and specifically, the teams battling above and right below the playoff line (8th place), shows that the Hounds and Detroit inched a little closer upward.

Pittsburgh (6w-9l-8d) though, has little room for error, as they’ve played an extra match (or two depending on other teams), but building points will be crucial as they face two Western Conference teams, San Antonio and Colorado Springs, at home in the next two weeks.