PITTSBURGH (March 6, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC has announced the acquisition of goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard via loan from Columbus Crew SC of MLS, pending USL Championship and USSF approval.
Lundgaard’s loan period is scheduled through the 2019 season.
“Ben is a big keeper with a lot of athleticism, and we’re excited to have him for the 2019 season,” head coach Bob Lilley said. “I expect him and Kyle Morton to give us a very strong goalkeeping tandem. We are appreciative of Columbus for this loan.”
Crew SC drafted the goalkeeper with the No. 21 overall pick of the 2018 MLS SuperDraft. He subsequently signed with the club on March 1, 2018. He did not make an appearance with Crew SC, which loaned his contract to Indy Eleven on March 7, 2018. He did not make an appearance with the USL Championship side in 2018.
Lundgaard, 23, had a standout collegiate career at Virginia Tech from 2014-17. As a senior in 2017, the Wilmington, Delaware native earned First Team All-Atlantic Coast and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Third Team honors. During his junior campaign, he posted a career-best .806 save percentage.
At the Atlantic Coast Conference school, he started all 70 of his career games played en route to a 1.28 goals-against average and .774 save percentage. He concluded his career with 312 saves, which ranked third most all-time for the Hokies. Furthermore, his 23 career shutouts ranked second most in program history.
With the addition of Lundgaard, the Hounds now have 17 players under contract heading into the 2019 season.
Roster breakdown for 2019 season
Forwards (3): Neco Brett, Steevan Dos Santos, Christian Volesky
Midfielders (7): Mouhamed Dabo, Kenardo Forbes, Noah Franke, Sammy Kahsai, Kevin Kerr, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Anthony Velarde
Defenders (5): Tobi Adewole, Jordan Dover, Joe Greenspan, Ryan James, Caleb Smith
Goalkeepers (2): Ben Lundgaard, Kyle Morton
