Riverhounds Two contain late surge by Lorain County, wins 3-2

In a wide-open, physical USL League Two battle under the lights, Caleb Borneo and Nicholas Legendre combined to hook up for two spectacular second-half goals, complementing Borneo’s first-half opener, while goalkeeper Jack Moxom made some crucial late saves to turn back a furious closing charge as Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2 secured a thrilling 3-2 victory over Lorain County Leviathan FC at Highmark Stadium on Wednesday night.

With the victory, Hounds 2 successfully protect their home pitch and earn a season series split with the Leviathan.

Below is the complete match breakdown, scoring summary, and post-match analysis.

How It Happened

First half:

The match opened with both sides going back and forth, showcasing a high level of aggression and frequent battles in the midfield. Hounds 2 repeatedly tried to make inroads toward the 18-yard box, but they were initially rebuffed by a disciplined Leviathan defense that was highly successful at swarming the ball-handler.

Lorain County created the game’s first dangerous opportunity in the 28th minute with a shot from the left side of the box that veered just outside the right post, leading to a corner kick that Pittsburgh successfully cleared. The Leviathan threatened again in the 37th minute with a shot on goal that rolled just left of the target.

The momentum officially turned in the 40th minute. Hounds 2 goalkeeper Jack Moxom delivered a massive, big-time save to deny the visitors. The spectacular stop breathed immediate life into the Pittsburgh attack. Hounds 2 swung the ball entirely the other way, seeing a shot blocked in the 41st minute and knocking on the door again in the 42nd.

The breakthrough finally came in the 43rd minute. JJ Vozar served a beautiful ball into the box, and Caleb Borneo launched a clinical strike into the top of the net to send Hounds 2 into the halftime locker room with a 1-0 lead.

Second half

Hounds 2 carried that momentum directly into the second half, striking just three minutes after the restart. In the 48th minute, Nicholas Legendre collected a sharp assist from Borneo and unleashed a powerful, straight shot from the right side of the box, burying it into the back left corner to make it 2-0.

Lorain County refused to go quietly. The Leviathan struck the crossbar with a dangerous header off a 61st-minute free kick, and they finally broke through in the 64th minute when Domenic Ruggiero headed home a rebound to cut the deficit to 2-1.

Looking to spark a comeback, Lorain made a massive quad-substitution in the 67th minute, prompting a tactical response and counter-substitutions from the Hounds 2 bench a few minutes later.

In the 77th minute, Pittsburgh executed a brilliant piece of play design to restore their two-goal cushion. Dribbling directly at the backline, Borneo forced the Lorain goalkeeper to commit heavily to his left before sliding a perfectly weighted pass to Legendre, who clinically finished into the right side of the net for a 3-1 advantage.

Now ahead by two, Pittsburgh looked to close things out, but a late midfield substitution by the Leviathan paid immediate dividends. In the 86th minute, Max Johnson came off the bench and scored on an assist from San Nam, cutting the margin to 3-2.

Hounds 2 immediately adjusted to a heavily defensive posture, subbing off Vozar, Daniel Firek, and Borneo to lock things down. Six grueling minutes of stoppage time were added to the clock, creating a tense, nail-biting finish as a momentum-fueled Lorain side threw everything forward.

But with the game on the line in the final minute of stoppage time, Moxom stood tall once again, tracking a dangerous ball and making a spectacular two-handed save to seal the 3-2 victory.

Lineups & Match Day Roster

Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2

• Starting XI: Jack Moxom; JJ Vozar, Ashton Miles, Brady Mcglone, Aldair Flowers-Gamboa; Daniel Firek, Kovin Johnson, Nicholas Legendre, Caleb Borneo; Michael Lee, Bennett Painter

• Substitutes: Israel Neto and Adrian Biaggi (for Michael Lee and Kovin Johnson); Carson Krushansky, Nathan Katari, Niklas Sorensen (in for Flowers-Gamboa, Painter, Miles); Miguel D, Tyler Prex, Max Haberman (in for Vozar, Borneo and Firek)

Lorain County Leviathan FC

• Starting XI: Patrick McLaughlin; Ahmad Hijaz, Jordan Cheetham, Santiago Maiolo, Niall McClintock; David Leavey, Dakota Jonke, Marco Valentic; Brendan Sheehan, Domenic Ruggiero, Noah Handzel

• Substitutes: San Nam (in for McClintock); Justin Shreffler, Espoir Mayele, Sam Brittain, Carter Hancock (for Valentic, Ruggiero, Sheehan and Handzel); Max Johnson and Chase Duldner (in for Jonke and Leavey)

 

Scoring Summary

Minute	Team	Goal Scorer	Assist	Match Score
43′	Pittsburgh	Caleb Borneo	JJ Vozar	1 – 0
48′	Pittsburgh	Nicholas Legendre	Caleb Borneo	2 – 0
64′	Lorain County	Domenic Ruggiero	Unassisted	2 – 1
77′	Pittsburgh	Nicholas Legendre	Caleb Borneo	3 – 1
86′	Lorain County	Max Johnson	San Nam

Discipline Summary

• 15′ — [LOR] — [Marco Valentic] (Yellow Card)

• 74′ — [PIT] — [Israel Neto] (Yellow Card)

Post-Match Takeaways

1. Highmark Advantage

Despite being heavily pressed in the first half, Hounds 2 cashed in on a crucial momentum shift late in the first half to pull ahead 1-0. As a train rumbled by, Pittsburgh kept Lorain contained for the rest of the half, taking the lead into halftime. They scored again coming right out of the half, and contained a late Leviathan surge for the 3-2 win.

2. Standout Performances

Caleb Borneo delivered a stellar offensive performance, with a goal and two assists. Nicholas Legendre was also spectacular, adding two goals. They functioned like an elite offensive duo, as Borneo assisted both of Legendre’s goals.

3. Hitting the Road Next

Hounds 2 will be on the road again, heading up to face a second-place Buffalo squad on Saturday. Last time was a 0-0 draw against them.

📊 [Click Here for Updated USL League Two Great Forest Division Standings]