When goalkeeper Dan Lynd abandoned the goalmouth, his sights were on preserving road points.
Lunging at the culmination of his sprint, the University of Pittsburgh product blocked away the ball from the foot of Bethlehem Steel FC’s Brenden Aaronson, who had broken free behind the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC backline. Lynd was successful in his clearance attempt, but ultimately had to be removed from the match with a head injury due to a collision with the opposing midfielder.
Just five minutes after backup goalkeeper Mike Kirk subbed on for the injured Lynd, the Hounds netted the game-winning tally from the foot of Neco Brett, leading to their 2-1 win against Bethlehem on Aug. 12. Now as Pittsburgh (12-3-7) prepares for a showdown with the Charlotte Independence (7-9-7) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Highmark Stadium, it could once again rely on the gloves of Kirk, as Lynd has been ruled out for the match.
“I saw Dan go down and first instinct was he okay, how he’s doing,” Kirk said about the moments leading up to his first-ever USL appearance. “I took a look over to the bench and saw Hunter [Gilstrap] give me the sign to let’s go. We train hard every day, so everything is just instinct.”
Kirk, who played collegiately at La Salle University from 2012-16, spent his first professional season with Rio Grande Valley FC Toros in 2017. He did not make an appearance with the USL Western Conference squad before signing with the Hounds this season.
Kirk said since joining Pittsburgh and working with goalkeeping coach Gilstrap, he has seen most improvement with his positional play, finding the best spot to be in to make an efficient reaction to the game in front of him.
While the Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania native refines his technique, he will have the support of one of the best defensive units in club history along the way. The team has already set a single-season club record with 14 clean sheets and has allowed a mere 164 total shots this year. If Riverhounds SC opponents were an actual USL squad, it would have the fewest total shots in the entire league – more than 25 total shots less than the second-lowest team total.
“We always want to protect our goalkeepers,” defender Jordan Dover said. “We’re not too worried about the information they’re going to give us because they all train hard in practice. Typically, we just try to make them feel comfortable. Try to have them face as little shots as possible.”
The Hounds have been rather familiar with goalkeeper injuries in recent time. In 2017, keepers Trey Mitchell and Keasel Broome both underwent season-ending surgeries during the campaign. Earlier in 2018, Kyle Morton sustained a lower-body injury that has kept him out since May.
In addition to Kirk, the Hounds also signed Nathan Ingham this past July to bolster their roster between the goalposts. Ingham, who last played for Calgary Foothills FC of the Premier Development League, should provide the club with needed depth while Lynd is sidelined.
When Pittsburgh and Charlotte meet this Saturday at Highmark Stadium, it will be the first game Lynd will not start in net for the club since its May 11 match against Indy Eleven. And whether Kirk or Ingham ends up receiving the starting nod, the team will be more than ready to pick up the slack and defend its home turf.
“We always want to dominate at home,” Kirk said. “Set the tone, set the pace, so we’re going to go after them. I don’t think anything changes. We’re the same team. We have a deep bench. There’s no change of training, so just take it like another game.”
