PITTSBURGH (October 9, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC head coach Bob Lilley has been named USL Championship Coach of the Month after the team compiled a 3-0-2 record in September, which helped catapult it into first place of the Eastern Conference standings.
Under Lilley’s direction, the Hounds clinched playoff berth with a 1-0 victory on the road against Memphis 901 FC on Sept. 24.
“The month of September was certainly a tough test for our group,” Lilley said. “Hopefully, this momentum gained will propel us in the playoffs.”
During the month, the Hounds shut out all five of their opponents en route to setting a team record of seven straight clean sheets. Pittsburgh held a streak of 698 minutes without conceding a goal, which is the second-longest such streak in USL Championship history.
In addition, this five-game stretch in September comprises for most of the squad’s current nine-game unbeaten streak.
In Lilley’s tenure with the Hounds, he has led the club to a 35-12-25 record across all competitions. This season, Pittsburgh has a 17-4-11 league record in addition to finishing the regular season home schedule with an unbeaten mark of 10-0-7 at Highmark Stadium.
Across his 19-campaign coaching career, including this season, Lilley has never missed the playoffs and has always finished the regular season with at least a .500 record. He has been named Coach of the Year on five occasions in addition to winning championships with the Vancouver Whitecaps (USL First Division) in 2006 and the Rochester Rhinos (USL Championship) in 2015.
Currently, Pittsburgh holds a one-point advantage over the second-place team in the conference. The Black and Gold has two games remaining on its schedule, beginning with a match against Saint Louis FC at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday at West Community Stadium in Fenton, Missouri.
