RICHMOND, VA. (April 22, 2017) – The Pittsburgh Riverhounds (1-3-2) fell 2-1 in a rain soaked match against the Richmond Kickers (1-1-2) at City Stadium.
The Hounds applied pressure early, working the ball around in the offensive end, but a quick move down the left side by the Kickers led to a low cross and shot to put the home team ahead.
Richmond midfielder Raul Gonzalez took a ball down the Hounds’ left side after a change in possession inside the Kickers’ half. Gonzalez wasted no time working his way into the final third and set himself for a hard driven cross against little pressure to a cutting Fred Owusu Sekyere, whose shot hit off goalkeeper Trey Mitchell’s outstretched hand and into the net.
Pittsburgh would suffer another hard loss in the 18th minute as defender Jamal Jack suffered a game ending injury when he collided with Mitchell who was going up for a punch inside his own box.
The Hounds nearly maintained solid possession throughout the remainder of the first half outweighing the Kickers 60-40.
However, the host side would come back strong right at the restart of the match. Gonzalez would send a dangerous free kick into the box that would not be cleared completely. The ensuing scrum inside the penalty area would result in Alhaji Kamara giving Richmond a two-goal cushion.
Pittsburgh looked to climb back into it when Marshall Hollingsworth turned on his heel and fired a rocket of a shot from around 22 yards into the upper corner of the net, bringing the Hounds within one.
Opportunities arose late in the match, as Corey Hertzog found himself free inside the box on several occasions. One shot sailing over the crossbar and a second from point blank being called offsides.
With the loss, Pittsburgh’s unbeaten streak on the road comes to an end. The Hounds return home to face the Harrisburg City Islanders (1-3-0) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 29. For more information on the next tilt for Pittsburgh, visit www.riverhounds.com.
Lineups:
Riverhounds – Trey Mitchell – Taylor Washington (Kay Banjo 46’), Joe Greenspan, Jamal Jack (Ritchie Duffie 23’), Rich Balchan – Jack Thompson, Victor Souto, Abuchi Obinwa (Kenroy Howell 77’), Marshall Hollingsworth – Kevin Kerr, Corey Hertzog
Subs not used: Keasel Broome, Gale Agbossoumonde, Ben Fitzpatrick, Mike Green
Richmond Kickers– Matt Turner – Alex Lee, Mallan Roberts, Braeden Troyer, Conor Shanosky – Fred Owusu Sekyere (Luiz Fernando Nascimento 78’), Samuel Asante, Raul Gonzalez, Pat McCann –Alhaji Kamara (Evan Lee 78’), Oliver (Anthony Grant 65’)
Subs not used: Marcel DeBellis, Mikey Minutillo, Jackson Eskay, Sunny Jane
Scoring Summary:
RIC – Fred Owusu Sekyere (Gonzalez) – 15’
RIC – Alhaji Kamara – 47’
PIT – Marshall Hollingsworth – 60’
