After a scoreless first half, five goals found the back of the net in the second stanza, as Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (14-4-11) defeated Indy Eleven (12-9-9), 3-2, on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. Here’s how the Black and Gold clinched three points at home with scoring from three different players.
49’ Ben Zemanski
The Hounds sprinted down the right flank to begin the lead-up to their first goal.
As François’ cross is blocked by Indy field players, Zemanski fields the ricochet and sends a right-footed shot past goalkeeper Owain Fon Williams to provide Pittsburgh with a 1-0 advantage.
51’ Neco Brett
Like the Hounds’ first goal, speed also created their second trip onto the scoresheet.
Depicted above, François (orange arrow) blows around the flanks of the Indy defense and heads into the penalty box. Immediately spotting an open Zemanski (green arrow), the attacking midfielder sends the ball to his teammate. At this time, the Eleven struggle to cover Black and Gold inside of the 18-yard box. In addition to Zemanski, Kenardo Forbes is left open across the goalmouth.
Once François’ ball reached his feet, Zemanski placed a shot on target that was blocked away by Fon Williams. Even though the goalkeeper saved the initial shot, the sphere rebounded back out in front of the net. Neco Brett (yellow arrow) cashed in on this loose ball in the midst of the chaos around him, providing the club with a 2-0 lead.
90’ Kenardo Forbes (penalty)
What was a chance on the offensive end for the Eleven turned into a fast break for the Hounds after defender Hugh Roberts cleared the ball from Pittsburgh’s defensive third.
Leading the break, Forbes (blue arrow) passes to Brett (yellow arrow), who charges toward the 18-yard box. Once the striker enters the penalty area, he is taken down by Indy defender Ayoze (red arrow), awarding the Black and Gold a penalty kick.
On the penalty opportunity, Forbes would elect to place his shot to the bottom left-hand corner. Fon Williams guessed wrong, and the Hounds took a 3-1 lead.
The Other Side
Indy could not muster any offense until its first shot on goal came in the 81st minute. Gathering a long ball sent into the Hounds’ defensive third, striker Jack McInerney alluded two Pittsburgh defenders before beating goalkeeper Dan Lynd, which brought the score to 2-1 at the time.
The Eleven struck once more before the final whistle, as this time they took advantage of a faulty clearance. Soon after the Hounds scored their penalty kick goal to go up 3-1, Indy drove back down the field and booted a ball into the penalty area. This cross was ultimately deflected into the Pittsburgh net by defender Joe Greenspan, brining the game to its final score of 3-2.
Tale of the Tape
After a first half that saw just one shot on target that came in first-half stoppage time, the second half featured a much higher scoring pace, as both teams combined for five total goals in this period.
The Hounds more than doubled the Eleven’s second half shot total, 11-5, despite holding 45 percent possession during this stretch. Also playing into Pittsburgh’s advantage was the shots on goal battle, as the Black and Gold totaled five more shots on net than its opposition during the game. This consistent pressure led to two goals stemming from loose balls in the penalty box in addition to the foul that led to a goal from the penalty spot.
Unlike the Hounds, Indy struggled to place shots on net, as its only one occurred in the 81st minute. Even though it cashed in on this opportunity, the club could not ultimately top three goals from the Hounds despite being beneficiaries of an own goal.
