The first shot faced of his professional career came off the left foot of Caleb Calvert from the center of the penalty box, and goalkeeper Mike Kirk handled it with ease.
With the exception of this test in the 25th minute, Kirk’s mitts were clean en route to his first USL shutout in Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s 0-0 result against the Charlotte Independence on Aug. 18. It was a full-team effort on the defensive end, as the Hounds held the opposition to just five total shots and one on target.
On a quick turnaround, Pittsburgh (12-3-8) will now try to replicate its success at preventing shots, as it will clash with the Tampa Bay Rowdies (7-10-6) at 7 p.m. on Wednesday at Highmark Stadium.
“We’re making sure we’re keeping our bodies right and having the same mentality we’ve had the whole season,” defender Tobi Adewole said, “which is no goals in the back of our net. We try to do that as well as possible.”
In four August games, the Hounds have allowed just five shots on target. This includes a match against the Richmond Kickers on Aug. 1 that the club prevented a shot on its frame for the entire match.
“We make sure we stop them early,” defender Hugh Roberts said. “As soon as they cross half field, we know to stay tight, make sure our lines are tight, make sure they can’t turn and they’re passing the ball backward every single time.”
In addition to Adewole and Roberts, defenders Joe Greenspan and Todd Pratzner have helped anchor the center of the backline over this stretch. Greenspan has appeared in every one of the squad’s four August matches, including three shutout performances, whereas Pratzner played a full-90 minutes in the team’s clean sheet against Richmond.
Greenspan also leads the team with 77 clearances and nine blocks this season despite missing all of April and May due to a lower-body injury. Since the United States Naval Academy product returned to the pitch against New York Red Bulls II on June 16, he has appeared in every game, starting nine of the team’s last 11 matches. The Hounds have eight shutouts and have allowed just four goals during this period.
All together, these four center backs have helped the Black and Gold allow just 2.22 shots on goal per game this season. The Hounds have allowed at least five takes on target just three times in 2018 – one instance occurring during their first meeting with the Rowdies on May 19.
Tampa Bay will need to once again find a way to slip behind the Hounds’ backline this Wednesday like it had done in their earlier 2-2 result at Al Lang Stadium, especially considering it sits in 12th place in the Eastern Conference – four slots out of a playoff spot and 10 back from the second-place Black and Gold.
“They’re desperate right now,” Roberts said. “They’re desperate to make the playoffs and they’ve been flying the last couple games. We know we have to stay organized defensively and we know they’re coming from grass and this is turf, so we need to use that to our advantage.”
