It was a celebration.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC stormed the pitch of rival Penn FC after the final whistle, passing around the Keystone Derby Cup, presented by K&L Gates and the Pennsylvania Lottery. In addition to the rivalry trophy, the Black and Gold celebrated their first playoff berth since 2015 after their 2-0 victory on Wednesday at FNB Field.
Even with this accomplishment, the Hounds (15-4-11) are hungry for more, as they battle the Charlotte Independence (9-11-10) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at Sportsplex at Matthews. The match will be televised on Pittsburgh’s CW.
“It’s nice to know we’re officially in,” head coach Bob Lilley said after the team’s victory against Penn FC on Wednesday. “We want to get a result on the weekend to keep ourselves ahead of Louisville.”
Currently, the Hounds hold the No. 2 spot in the Eastern Conference and remain two points ahead of Louisville City FC and three points ahead of the Charleston Battery.
Furthermore, the Hounds can clinch the privilege of hosting a home playoff game with a victory against the Independence and/or an Indy Eleven loss or draw against first-place FC Cincinnati this Saturday. Pittsburgh has never hosted a playoff game at Highmark Stadium since commencing play at the venue in 2013.
“Now it’s a matter of staying on course, not giving anything away,” Lilley said. “Because it’s in our hands as long as we keep it that way. We’ll put in a lineup and go after the game to win in Charlotte.”
Winning in Charlotte will be a challenge for the Hounds. The club has never won a road match against the Independence, holding a 0-3-1 all-time mark. The last time Pittsburgh traveled to Charlotte came last season and ended with a 1-1 result. Kay Banjo, who also scored the squad’s game-winning goal in the Keystone Derby on Wednesday, provided the lone Hounds tally at Eagle Field in 2017.
“It’s just keeping focused, following the coaches’ game plan and being together as a team,” Banjo said. “We have a lot of rotations, and everybody can come up and perform, so you never know what we have to offer. We give it our all, so everybody is contributing in different ways, so that’s all that matters.”
The Hounds have needed to use their full roster this past week. As the team finishes a stretch of three games in eight days, it has depended much on its depth. Last time out, Pittsburgh had three players in its starting 11 who have made less than 10 starts this season.
As the lineup rotates, the Black and Gold will look to bounce back on the offensive end this weekend. In their first meeting this season, Pittsburgh and Charlotte played to a 0-0 draw at Highmark Stadium. In the Hounds’ favor of cracking their opposition’s backline on Saturday, the Independence have allowed the fifth-most goals (49) in the Eastern Conference to this point.
“We still have a lot to do,” Banjo said. “We’re not content with just winning the Derby. It is great to win it, but we want more. We always want more and we can never settle.”
