PITTSBURGH (Sept. 1, 2021) — Jelani Peters scored a headed goal from a Kenardo Forbes corner kick in the 32nd minute, and that stood up as the only goal to give Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC a 1-0 win over the New York Red Bulls II on Wednesday night at Highmark Stadium.
The Hounds (13-6-4) have won three straight games and retook first place in the Atlantic Division until at least Friday, when the second-place Tampa Bay Rowdies play next. It also completes a four-match season sweep of New York (3-13-4), the first time the Hounds have done that against any opponent in team history.
Danny Vitiello made two saves to record his fifth shutout of the season and 10th of his career, all with the Hounds, which moves him into the top five for shutouts in team history.
First half
A chippy game broke out, with each team being whistled for 17 fouls in the match and Hounds players Tommy Williamson and Shane Wiedt seeing yellow cards in the first 18 minutes of the match.
At the center of the Hounds’ early chances was leading scorer Russell Cicerone, who broke free along the goal line and poked a pass across goal in the 24th minute, only to have the ball roll all the way across just 4 yards from the goal line.
Finally, the Hounds got on the board with the goal headed across the frame and inside the far post by Peters, which was the Hounds’ first goal directly from a corner kick this season. Forbes served the ball from the right corner for his sixth assist of the season and team-record 31st with the Hounds, and for Peters, it was his first goal since making the move to USL with Toronto in 2017.
Second half
Things started slow, and New York pressed the action holding the ball, as they finished with 58 percent of possession.
The visitors’ best chance of the game came in the 65th minute, when a ball was played across to substitute Luther Archimede, but he pushed the close-range effort wide of the post with Vitiello scrambling across. The Hounds mostly kept Red Bulls II out of dangerous areas, however, limiting the visitors to just three total shots.
In the 77th minute, defender Jordan Dover entered the match as a substitute for the Hounds, as the team’s joint-most-tenured player (with Forbes) made his first appearance since June 12 because of a lingering lower-body injury.
Hounds Man of the Match
While many players had solid defensive games, Jelani Peters is the choice for providing the match’s biggest moment. In addition to his first Hounds goal, the Trinidad native was second on the team in clearances with five and interceptions with three, and the 6-foot-5 center back also won all three aerial duels he contested.
What’s next?
The Hounds play their final out-of-division match of the season when they fly to Texas for their first-ever meeting with San Antonio FC (7-5-6). That match against the Mountain Division playoff contenders will be an 8:30 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
Riverhounds SC lineup (3-4-3) — Danny Vitiello; Preston Kilwien, Shane Wiedt, Jelani Peters; Tom Judge (Ezra Armstrong 45’), Danny Griffin, Dani Rovira (Jordan Dover 77’), Alex Dixon (Louis Pérez 90+1’); Russell Cicerone, Tommy Williamson (Todd Wharton 60’), Kenardo Forbes (Anthony Velarde 77’)
New York Red Bulls II lineup (4-4-2) — Luca Lewis; JC Cortez (Curtis Ofori 71’), Emir Tombul, Mike Knapp (Luther Archimede 59’), Juan Castillo; Jake LaCava (Nico Rabiu 82’), Daniel Edelman, Kyle Zajec (Sam Williams 72’), Jeremy Rafanello; Omar Sowe, Serge Ngoma (Mathias Jørgensen 71’)
Scoring summary
PIT — Jelani Peters 32’ (Kenardo Forbes)
Discipline summary
PIT — Tommy Williamson 10’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
PIT — Shane Wiedt 18’ (caution – persistent infringement)
NY — Michael Knapp 34’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
PIT — Tom Judge 45’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
NY — Luther Archimede 90’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
