It wasn’t a shootout, but it sure felt like one.
Needing three points to keep pace in the Eastern Conference playoff hunt, the Riverhounds’ fate at Saint Louis FC on Aug. 19 came down to two penalty kick opportunities in the game’s second half.
In the 66th minute, Trey Mitchell faced the first of these penalty takes. After tripping up Tony Walls and conceding a foul in the 18-yard box, the goalkeeper prepared to right his wrong and dug his heels in 12 yards from Milan Petosevic, who lined up to take the try for Saint Louis.
Starting his run at the edge of the penalty area, Petosevic fired a left-footed shot at Mitchell. As the ball sailed toward the goalmouth, the Alta Loma, California native dove to his right and blocked away the high-danger scoring chance.
“I watched his eyes and saw him peak to the right post, so I had a little bit of an idea he was going there,” Mitchell said.
Just seven minutes later, the Hounds found themselves on the other side of a PK. Mirroring the first penalty inside the box, Corey Hertzog won a foul against Saint Louis goalkeeper Adam Grinwis. The striker soon after placed a right-footed shot into the back of the net, firing the ball straight ahead past the keeper, who guessed left.
“Before every game, I pick where I want to go for a penalty kick,” Hertzog said. “I picked down the middle and thankfully he chose left.”
Hertzog’s penalty tally, being his second goal of the match, served as the game-winner in Pittsburgh’s 2-1 win over the Eastern Conference foe. The victory marks a two-game winning streak for the Hounds as they head into the final eight games of the 2017 campaign, as well as moves the club into 10th place in the East – just one point out of a playoff spot.
“We need to focus on three points for every game,” Hertzog said. “We have five games left at home and must get three points. Our goal is to make it into the playoffs.”
Starts with the Cup
The Black and Gold welcomed silver into its possession.
After defeating the rival Harrisburg City Islanders, 3-0, on Aug. 12, the team rushed FNB Field to hoist the Keystone Derby Cup. Romeo Parkes and Chevaughn Walsh, who led the charge during the game and combined for all seven of the Hounds’ points, joined in celebration with their teammates and the Steel Army fan base who made the trip.
This game marked the second time the Hounds scored at least three goals in a match this season and broke a seven-game winless streak. But most importantly, this contest served as a catalyst for the club.
The carryover of this momentum was evident in Pittsburgh’s aforementioned win against Saint Louis, especially on the offensive side of the ball. For the first time this year, the Hounds scored multiple goals in consecutive tilts while outshooting these opponents, 32-21, during the last two times out.
“We’ve been in a situation where we haven’t rewarded ourselves in opportunities created,” Mitchell said. “I think the Harrisburg win was a bit of a fresh air knowing we’re still in it and we’re not far from where we want to be.”
Head coach Dave Brandt started the same 11 players in both of these matches and even kept with his starting lineup for nearly the entire Saint Louis match, making his only substitution in the 88th minute.
“The chemistry has been pretty good,” Mitchell said about the team’s recent starting lineup. “It’s been a confidence booster to each individual player. We’ve been looking for a solidified backline and forwards, but we still believe no matter who’s out there can get the job done.”
Road Ahead
This Saturday, the Hounds look to accomplish a season first.
With the exception of tying its only March game, Pittsburgh hasn’t yet completed a full-month’s worth of play with an undefeated record. The Hounds, holding a 2-0-1 record in August, are now one home game away against Bethlehem Steel FC from accomplishing this feat.
“I think we’re playing with more confidence,” Hertzog said. “I think it’s knowing we need to win to make the playoffs.”
The Hounds traveled to and tied Steel FC, which featured a short-handed roster, as some players were called up to MLS affiliate Philadelphia Union, in the teams’ first meeting this season. Now just more than one month later, the Hounds sit three points behind Steel FC in the East and can draw even with the foe with a win. Both teams have been moving in different directions over the past couple weeks, as Pittsburgh has won two straight games whereas Bethlehem has dropped two straight matches.
“We didn’t play them at full strength the first time around and we missed an opportunity to get three points,” Mitchell said. “It felt like a loss to us, but they’re a good team. I think for us it’ll be a battle to get into a playoff spot.”
Hertzog said Bethlehem’s defense bunched and was stout up the middle in the previous matchup and the Hounds will need to have their outside backs get wide and play crosses back to the center of the field to help counter this.
“Bethlehem is a tough team,” Hertzog said. “We need to get a goal early.”
The rest of the 2017 campaign will not be an easy road for Pittsburgh. Starting with Bethlehem on Saturday, six of the final eight games remaining are against teams that currently hold an Eastern Conference playoff spot. This includes two games against Rochester, currently the No. 5 seed, and another against Louisville City FC, which leads the East in points per game played (1.95).
Even with this tough stretch looming, the Hounds are focusing on one thing at a time.
“We can’t get ahead of ourselves and take it day by day, hour by hour and second by second,” Mitchell said. “We have Bethlehem this weekend, need to focus on that game and put out our best performance on Saturday.”
