The net was nowhere in sight. In fact, Victor Souto was a distance away from the 18-yard box as well.
Despite being about 30 yards away from the goalmouth, the midfielder freed up enough space to rip a shot on target. The ball sailed over the outstretched hand of the diving Toronto FC II goalkeeper into the top-right corner of the twine. Souto’s goal was the only tally of the match, and the Riverhounds won, 1-0, on May 3.
After the game, Souto’s highlight-reel goal earned him the No. 2 spot on SportsCenter’s Top 10 countdown of the best plays in sports – a rather memorable achievement for a soccer player’s first professional tally.
“For me, my main job is to go back and pass to the guys in front of me,” Souto said after the match against Toronto. “Today, I just felt something different and I was going to hit this one. I was lucky to just score the goal.”
Thus far into the 2017 campaign, Souto has been a catalyst for the Pittsburgh offense. In head coach Dave Brandt’s counterattack scheme, the Sao Paolo, Brazil native is tasked with starting the run and moving the ball up to frontline teammates.
He broke this mold for that one play against Toronto, however. Souto’s intuition to shoot the ball led to his first tally since 2015, when he was in the midst of his junior campaign at the University of Akron.
“It looked like an absolute banger,” goalkeeper Trey Mitchell said. “He has it down. When he gets space like that, he looks to score. He’s going to put a foot through it. In practice, he puts a couple in and that one right there he basically roped it in top corner.”
After Souto saw the ball hit the back of the net, he dropped to his knees in celebration. Teammates rushed to his side, hugging and patting the rookie on the back.
Making the moment even more special were the people watching a continent away. Souto’s family, who live back in Brazil, make sure to view each Hounds game online and cheer on their favorite player.
“For me, every performance I have is for them,” Souto said. “When I scored, I just fell on my knees, thanking God and my family for all of the energy they were sending me. I felt very blessed.”
This coming Saturday, Souto and the Hounds put their two-game winning streak on the line as they travel to face off against Ottawa Fury FC. Even though his first career goal made a splash in the national media, a different feat captured the midfielder’s attention and will continue to do so as the season progresses.
“We got the win,” Souto said. “That’s the most important thing.”
