(Aug. 28, 2021) — Russell Cicerone scored the match-winning goal in stoppage time, as Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC came away with a 3-2 win over Hartford Athletic on the road Saturday night at Dillon Stadium in Hartford, Conn.
It was the second goal of the match for Cicerone, who opened the scoring from the penalty spot, and Alex Dixon also scored for the Hounds (12-6-4) against the team he played for the past two seasons.
Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. and Danny Barrera scored for Hartford (8-8-3), and the home team nearly held on for the draw despite being reduced to 10 men when defender Tulu was sent off in the 36th minute.
First half
The Hounds were in business just 15 seconds into the game, as Cicerone played Dixon through to goal, and Dixon was taken down by goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell for a lightning-fast penalty kick. Cicerone converted in the second minute for a 1-0 lead.
An end-to-end first half ensued, and Hartford tied the game in the 18th minute when Preston Tabort Etaka headed a ball around Hounds goalie Danny Vitiello, setting it up for Obregón to smash it over the line.
Dixon again was a menace to his former team when he got behind Tulu for a breakaway down the left flank. The Hartford defender gave Dixon a tug of the jersey and knocked him over in the box. That gave the Hounds another penalty, but more significantly, it gave Tulu an early shower as he was shown a red card for denying an obvious scoring opportunity.
But the score remained level at the break, as Caldwell stopped Dixon’s penalty kick, diving the wrong way but dragging his trailing leg behind to stop the shot.
Second half
Hartford pulled ahead 2-1 with a penalty kick in the 51st minute by Barrera, a clean finish after a penalty given in unusual fashion. Play was allowed to continue by referee JJ Bilinski after a free kick by Hartford was cleared by the Hounds, but on the next dead ball, Bilinski awarded the penalty for a foul against Preston Kilwien given by his linesman.
Coach Bob Lilley made three substitutions in the 55th minute, and the fresh legs paid off almost immediately for the Hounds. Ezra Armstrong, one of the three new players on the field, sent a dangerous cross into the box from the left side, and the Hartford defense could head it only as far as the top of the box, where Dixon was waiting to smash home his seventh goal of the season and third against his former team.
It seemed as though a draw might be the result until a corner kick for the Hounds right at the 90-minute mark. Kenardo Forbes whipped the ball into the box, and again, Hartford was only able to clear it to the top of the box.
Cicerone controlled the loose ball and sent a shot into the bottom right corner for his team-leading 13th goal of the season and a Riverhounds victory.
Hounds Man of the Match
Russell Cicerone was visibly running on fumes by the end of the match, but the striker’s stoppage-time winner gave the Hounds the win and gave himself five goals in the past two games. Cicerone is now second in the USL Championship with 13 goals after scoring 12 league goals in his first four pro seasons.
What’s next?
The Hounds return home for their fourth and final meeting of the year with the New York Red Bulls II (3-11-4) at 6 p.m. Wednesday at Highmark Stadium. New York, which has lost the previous three meeting with the Hounds, will be on the back end of a road swing, as they also play Sunday at Miami FC before coming to Pittsburgh.
Riverhounds SC lineup (5-1-3-1) — Danny Vitiello; Louis Pérez (Ezra Armstrong 55’, Tom Judge 85’), Jelani Peters, Preston Kilwien (Tommy Williamson 55’), Shane Wiedt, Todd Wharton (Wyatt Borso 85’); Danny Griffin; Alex Dixon, Dani Rovira (Anthony Velarde 55’), Kenardo Forbes; Russell Cicerone
Hartford Athletic lineup (4-3-3) — Jeff Caldwell; Gabriel Torres, Thomas Janjigian, Tulu (sent off 36’), Younes Boudadi (Samuel Ashley 19’); Connor McGlynn (Alex Lara 67’), Justin Haak (Kenan Hot 80’), Danny Barrera; Walmer Martinez (Derek Dodson 67’), Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. (Darwin Mom 67’), Preston Tabort Etaka
Scoring summary
PIT — Russell Cicerone 2’ (penalty)
HFD — Juan Carlos Obregón Jr. 18’ (Preston Tabort Etaka)
HFD — Danny Barrera 51’ (penalty)
PIT — Alex Dixon 57’
PIT — Russell Cicerone 90+1’
Discipline summary
HFD — Jeff Caldwell 1’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
PIT — Dani Rovira 25’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
HFD — Tulu 36’ (sent off – foul denying obvious scoring opportunity)
PIT — Preston Kilwien 45+2’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
HFD — Walmer Martinez 54’ (caution – delaying restart)
HFD — Darwin Lom 69’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
