PITTSBURGH (June 3, 2017) – The Pittsburgh Riverhounds (4-5-3) could not overcome a second-half tally by Orlando City B (4-4-3), falling to the visitors 2-1 at Highmark Stadium.
Breaking a four-match goalless streak for the Hounds was Corey Hertzog, who potted the match’s initial tally in the 30th minute. Orlando City B equalized later in the first half off a shot from Hadji Barry in the 42nd before Zach Ellis-Hayden netted the go-ahead goal in the 53rd minute.
Despite suffering their fourth loss at home this season, the Hounds dominated play for most of the match, most notably holding advantages in shots (19-to-8) and shots on goal (9-to-3) – both season-highs.
Hertzog’s tally came off a corner, as the play started with useful buildup from Kevin Kerr and Jack Thompson. Playing the piece short to Thompson, Kerr received the return and fired a low ball in from the right of the box. Pinballing its way through multiple bodies, the ball squirted out to the far post, where Hertzog wasted little time beating Orlando’s Earl Edwards Jr.
Orlando would respond shortly after, as the Hounds defense displayed solid defending until an unfortunate bounce off Lalas Abubakar gave Barry space all alone against goalkeeper Trey Mitchell. Attempting to block a shot, Abubakar was successful, but the ball trailed off his left foot. Barry capitalized, finishing despite a stellar effort by Mitchell, who dove to partially block the ball before it sped into the back of goal.
The go-ahead tally early in the second half came less by luck and more by skill. Cutting across the top of the box from the right, Ellis-Hayden paced before unleashing a rocket of a shot into the upper-90 to give Orlando the lead for good.
For Mitchell, it was only the second time in 10 starts the keeper had allowed more than one goal.
Pittsburgh staged a furious comeback, complete with 13 shots and six on goal in the match’s final 45, but could not crack an impressive effort by Edwards Jr.
The club’s best chance for an equalizer came late in the second half after Romeo Parkes sprung second half sub Ben Fitzpatrick on a breakaway with a beautiful through-ball into the box. Receiving the pass cleanly, Fitzpatrick had to quickly adjust for an aggressive Edwards Jr. coming off his line. The rookie midfielder put a spirited take on goal, but it was met by an even better save by the Orlando keeper.
Of note, midfielder Mike Green made his second start of the season in place of the injured Victor Souto. For Green, the start marked his 123rd appearance with the club, moving him into a third-place tie with Sterling Flunder for most appearances in club history.
The Hounds now hit the road, heading north of the border for the second time this season for a tilt against Toronto FC II on Saturday, June 10. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. at the Ontario Soccer Centre. The club’s first meeting this year saw the Hounds win 1-0 at home. For more information on the Hounds’ upcoming match, visit www.riverhounds.com.
Lineups:
Riverhounds – Trey Mitchell – Taylor Washington, Lalas Abubakar, Jamal Jack, Ritchie Duffie– Michael Green, Kevin Kerr, Jack Thompson (Ben Fitzpatrick 61’), Marshall Hollingsworth (Chevaughn Walsh 80’) – Romeo Parkes, Corey Hertzog
Subs not used: Keasel Broome, Gale Agbossoumonde, Danny Earls, Connor Maloney, Stephen Okai
Orlando City B – Earl Edwards Jr. – Zach Ellis-Hayden, Scott Thomsen, Seb Hines, Zach Carroll – Austin Martz (David Loera 72’), Jordan Schweitzer, Lewis Neal, Pierre Da Silva – Danny Deakin, Hadji Barry (Albert Dikwa 77’)
Subs not used: Jake Fenlason, Conor Donovan, Ryley Kraft, Moussa Sane, Michael Cox
Scoring Summary:
PGH – Corey Hertzog 30’
ORL – Hadji Barry 42’
ORL – Zach Ellis-Hayden 53’ (Hadji Barry)
Misconduct Summary:
ORL – Zach Ellis-Hayden 37’ (caution)
PGH – Corey Hertzog 73’ (caution)
PGH – Taylor Washington 79’ (caution)
Cleveland Brother’s “Blue Collar Player of the Game”
Quote Sheet:
Dave Brandt
On the end result of the game…
“We’re better than that. We had that game – we got out to a good lead.”
On having urgency…
“We need to have urgency from the get-go. There’s something in too many pro players that wants to take it easy.”
On the Hounds scoring chances…
“We certainly had some good looks. Corey scored a good goal. I think he’s rushing some other opportunities. The thing is he can hit those, he can score, so it’s not falling for us right now.”
Corey Hertzog
On scoring a goal off of a set corner…
“We worked on it all week on corners. We hadn’t scored off a corner yet, so it’s good to get one.”
On scoring opportunities…
“We created the chances to get back into the game, we just need to finish those. If we create those chances and make them, it’s 3-2, 4-2. It’s up to us, but we have to finish those chances.”
On playing with Romeo Parkes on the frontline…
“The chemistry is good. We look for each other and we just need to put the ball in the back of the net. That’s what today was all about. We had our chances, we just need to put them in the back of the net.”
