HARRISBURG, PA (August 12, 2017) – The Keystone Derby Cup, presented by K&L Gates and the Pennsylvania Lottery, is coming back to the Steel City, as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds (6-8-9) defeated the Harrisburg City Islanders (6-12-6), 3-0, Saturday night at FNB Field. Pittsburgh finishes the season undefeated (2-0-1) against its in-state rivals.
Romeo Parkes (28’) and Chevaughn Walsh (56’ and 76’) provided the scoring for the Hounds, as the club tied a season-high with nine shots on target during the match. Pittsburgh has now won the Keystone Derby Cup twice in its three years of existence, having previously been victorious in 2015, the inaugural season of the award.
In the first half, the Hounds slightly trailed the City Islanders in possession (holding the ball 48.1 percent of the time), but outshot their rival, 5-3. One of these shots provided Pittsburgh with a lead it would not relinquish for the remainder of the match.
Intercepting a pass from about 35 yards out, Parkes used his speed to split two opposing defenders and bolted inside of the 18-yard box. The midfielder then released a shot past goalkeeper Brandon Miller into the bottom left corner of the net.
The tally was Parkes’ third goal of the season and provided Pittsburgh with a 1-0 lead going into the half.
In the second stanza, Walsh provided the firepower for the Pittsburgh offense.
The forward’s first goal exemplified a hustle play, as he sprinted from the halfway line all the way to the opposing penalty area to place pressure on Miller, who attempted to field a pass from his defense. The Harrisburg keeper could not play the ball cleanly, and Walsh was there to take advantage, strip the ball and finish with his left foot.
Just 20 minutes later in an encore performance, Walsh once again found the back of the net. This time he did not go unassisted, as Parkes sent a pass to his fellow striker, who stood about eight yards away from the goalmouth. Walsh one-timed the pass into the net for his second goal of the game and his fifth on the season.
Starting in net for the Hounds, Trey Mitchell recorded his sixth shutout this campaign, pushing the club’s season total to eight clean sheets. With the win, Pittsburgh moves within one point of a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference and three points ahead of Harrisburg, which just finished a stretch of four games in 11 days, in the postseason hunt.
The Hounds now move to 3-3-6 on the road in 2017.
Pittsburgh’s next match comes against Saint Louis at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 19 at World Wide Technology S.P. For more information, visit www.riverhounds.com.
Lineups:
Riverhounds – Trey Mitchell – Taylor Washington, Jamal Jack Tobi Adewole, Ritchie Duffie – Romeo Parkes (Shannon Gomez 86’), Victor Souto, Stephen Okai, Kevin Kerr – Chevaughn Walsh (Kenroy Howell 79’), Corey Hertzog (Kay Banjo 67’)
Subs not used: Matt Perrella, Gale Agbossoumonde, Danny Earls, Jack Thompson
Harrisburg City Islanders – Brandon Miller – James Thomas, Jake Bond, Tiago Calvano, Lee Nishanian – John Grosh (Frederick Opoku 82’), Jonny Mendoza, Rasheed Olabiyi (Cardel Benbow 62’), Paul Wilson, Danny DiPrima – Ropapa Mensah (Mike Olla 78’)
Subs not used: Sean Lewis, Shawn McLaws, Travis Brent, Abass Mohammed
Scoring Summary:
PGH – Romeo Parkes 28’
PGH – Chevaughn Walsh 56’
PGH – Chevaughn Walsh 76’ (Romeo Parkes)
Misconduct Summary:
HAR – Ropapa Mensah 41’ (Caution)
HAR – James Thomas 61’ (Caution)
HAR – Lee Nishanian 85’ (Caution)
HAR – Paul Wilson 87’ (Caution)
