In the second match of a two-game homestand, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (12-3-9) jumped out to an early lead on the Tampa Bay Rowdies (7-10-7) only to see its adversaries ultimately bounce back to force a 1-1 result on Wednesday at Highmark Stadium. Etching his name on the score sheet for the Hounds, Mouhamed Dabo posted the first points of his professional career. Here is how the holding midfielder scored his first professional goal.
45’+2 Mouhamed Dabo assisted by Neco Brett
The Hounds worked their way into the 18-yard box, and then things became crowded.
Pressured by three Tampa Bay defenders, Neco Brett (orange arrow) turns away from the goal to shield the ball. Although open at the top of the arc, Jordan Dover (blue arrow) ultimately does not receive a pass due to Brett’s sightline being disrupted by one of the aforementioned members of the opposition. As a result, the striker sends a pass into the area highlighted above with a yellow circle, which will be filled by a charging Dabo.
Seen above, Dabo (green arrow) aggressively attacks the ball that Brett plays backward in his direction. As eight Rowdies are packed in or near the penalty area, Dabo elects to blast a shot that finds its way through the congestion and into the bottom right-hand corner of the net to provide the Hounds with a 1-0 lead at the half.
The Other Side
Only posting one shot in the first-45 minutes, the Rowdies upped their offensive pressure in the second stanza, posting four shots. One of these takes, from the right foot of striker Junior Flemmings, found its way into the Hounds’ goal for an equalizer in the 72nd minute.
Following a long ball played over Pittsburgh’s backline by midfielder Martin Vingaard, Flemmings collected the sphere in close to the net near the end line, as the Black and Gold could not clear the scoring opportunity. His subsequent shot beat Hounds goalkeeper Mike Kirk to the bottom left-hand corner to knot the score at 1-1.
Tale of the Tape
For much of the game, the Hounds dominated the ball (74 percent possession). In addition, 30 percent of the match was played in Pittsburgh’s attacking third, which also factored into its scoring opportunity that placed the club ahead 1-0 to end the first half.
On the other hand, Tampa Bay did not control much of the ball, but it cashed in on an opportunity when it was presented with one. The Rowdies only touched the ball seven times inside the Hounds’ penalty area, one of these occasions leading to their equalizer in the 72nd minute.
