INDIANAPOLIS (June 1, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (2-2-6) lost to Indy Eleven (6-2-3), 2-1, on Saturday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Pittsburgh native Robbie Mertz scored his first professional goal in the 15th minute to put the Hounds up 1-0 at the half. The Eleven then scored two second-half goals (Kenney Walker and Tyler Pasher) to take the lead and ultimately the three points.
“We knew it would be tough coming here and they would raise the tempo,” head coach Bob Lilley said. “I think we did really well the first 20-25 minutes of the second half. I think we needed to do a better job finding outlets, so we can hang on to possession. We defended for much of the second half.
“This is a tough place to play. I think it’s important for us to keep it in perspective and get back to work.”
First Half
The Hounds jumped out to an early lead, courtesy of a rookie.
Fielding a ball inside of the penalty area from forward Christian Volesky, who shielded defenders in the process, Mertz blasted in a shot from the center of the 18-yard box, beating Indy goalkeeper Evan Newton to the top left-hand corner to put the Black and Gold up 1-0.
Facing 10 total shots in the half, the Hounds kept the Eleven off the scoreboard. Goalkeeper Austin Pack recorded two saves in the first-45 minutes.
Second Half
The Eleven bounced back in the second half.
Utilizing second-half substitute Walker, it took them until the 71st minute to find the back of the net. Walker’s goal came from a rocket shot, which was launched from outside of the penalty box.
Ten minutes later, Pasher gave the Eleven the lead. On the left side of the penalty box, the ex-Hound beat Pack on a tough-angle shot to bring the score to its final of 2-1.
Forward Mark Forrest, who subbed into the match in the 79th minute, was issued a red card in second-half stoppage time causing the Hounds to finish the match a man down.
Hound of the Match
Robbie Mertz put the Hounds ahead early with his first professional goal. He also added a key pass.
Stat of the Game: 5
Ryan James led the club with five interceptions.
What’s Next
Riverhounds SC will return home to clash with Ottawa Fury FC (5-2-3) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, June 8 at Highmark Stadium, marking Women’s Health Night, presented by Allegheny Health Network, at the venue. Fans can purchase tickets at ticketmaster.com.
Lineups:
Riverhounds SC – Austin Pack – Ryan James, Uchenna Uzo, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Tobi Adewole, Dani Rovira (Neco Brett 83′) – Kenardo Forbes, Robbie Mertz – Kevin Kerr (Noah Franke 69′) – Christian Volesky, Steevan Dos Santos (Mark Forrest 79′)
Subs not used: Kyle Morton, Sammy Kahsai, Anthony Velarde
Indy Eleven – Evan Newton – Mitchell Osmond, Neveal Hackshaw, Karl Ouimette, Tyler Pasher – Tyler Gibson, Nico Matern (Kenney Walker 57′), Lucas Farias, Josh Penn (Kim Do-Heon 45′) – Thomas Enevolosen, Dane Kelly (Alioune Diakhate 77′)
Subs not used: Jordan Farr, Patrick Barrett, Macauley King, Matthew Watson
Scoring Summary:
PIT – Robbie Mertz 15′ (Christian Volesky)
IND – Kenney Walker 71′ (Lucas Farias)
IND – Tyler Passer 81′ (Thomas Enevoldsen)
Misconduct Summary:
IND – Kim Do-Heon 60′ (caution)
PIT – Mark Forrest 90’+1 (ejection)
