HARTFORD, Conn. (July 27, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (8-3-8) defeated Hartford Athletic (3-15-4), 4-2, on Saturday at Dillon Stadium.
Tallies from Steevan Dos Santos and Anthony Velarde, in addition to an own goal from Kyle Curinga, gave the Hounds three goals at the half. Hartford added second-half goals from Mads Jorgensen and Sebastian Dalgaard, and Neco Brett scored a second-half tally for the Hounds.
“We gave up a lot of chances,” head coach Bob Lilley said. “It was a good result. We scored some nice goals, but it was disappointing that we allowed as many chances as we did.
“It was an important win, but I don’t think we executed well enough in the second half.”
First Half
It did not take long for the Hounds to jump on the scoresheet.
Receiving a through-ball from Ryan James on the left flank, Velarde sprinted toward the 18-yard box. The rookie then sent a ball toward the goalmouth, connecting with the head of a streaking Dos Santos, who potted it into the bottom left-hand corner to give the Hounds a 1-0 lead in the 13th minute.
Not done scoring, Pittsburgh added two more goals within a two-minute stretch.
In the 37th minute, Velarde followed up his assist with a goal of his own, scoring a left-footed shot from the center of the penalty area. One minute later, the Hounds were beneficiaries of an own goal off the leg of Curinga, who attempted to clear the ball away from a sprinting Dos Santos.
At the end of the first half, Pittsburgh outshot Hartford, 9-2, including a 7-0 shots on goal advantage.
Second Half
Hartford initially fought back early in the second half.
Awarded a free kick at the top of the penalty box in the 47th minute, Jorgensen sniped a right-footed blast into the upper right-hand corner to bring the score to 3-1.
Meanwhile, the Hounds added another goal in the 76th minute. Fresh off the bench, Brett used his rested legs to dance around Hartford defenders and free himself up to bury a shot into the bottom right-hand corner to provide Pittsburgh with a 4-1 advantage.
Hartford would respond with a late goal from Dalgaard. The second-half substitute booted home a cross from Curinga in the 84th minute to bring the score to its final of 4-2.
Hound of the Match
Anthony Velarde posted a goal and an assist, in addition to recording a game-high six chances created.
Stat of the Game
This is the fifth time this season the Hounds have scored at least three goals.
What’s Next:
Riverhounds SC will return home to battle Memphis 901 FC (3-9-6) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 3 at Highmark Stadium. Fans can purchase tickets at ticketmaster.com.
Lineups:
Riverhounds SC – Kyle Morton – Ryan James, Tobi Adewole, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Jordan Dover – Anthony Velarde, Kenardo Forbes, Sammy Kahsai, Noah Franke – Steevan Dos Santos (Joe Greenspan 45′), Christian Volesky (Neco Brett 70′)
Subs not used: Austin Pack, Mouhamed Dabo, Kevin Kerr, Robbie Mertz, Dani Rovira
Hartford Athletic – Frederik Due – Ray Lee, Alex Davey, Mads Jorgensen, Kyle Curinga – Jose Angulo, Ryan Williams (Sebastian Dalgaard 65′), Daniel Bedoya (Nicky Downs 66′), Hugh Dixon – Wojciech Wojcik, Danny Barrera
Subs not used: Jacob Lissek, Mac Steeves
Scoring Summary:
PIT – Steevan Dos Santos 13′ (Anthony Velarde)
PIT – Anthony Velarde 37′
PIT – Kyle Curinga 38′ (own goal)
HFD – Mads Jorgensen 47′
PIT – Neco Brett 76′
HFD – Sebastian Dalgaard 84′ (Kyle Curinga)
Misconduct Summary:
HFD – Mads Jorgensen 90’+3
