PITTSBURGH (July 29, 2025) — Charles Ahl headed in his first professional goal on the final play of the match, helping the Pittsburgh Riverhounds come back for a 1-1 draw against Miami FC tonight at Highmark Stadium.
Francisco Bonfiglio scored in the 83rd minute to put Miami (5-8-4) in the lead before Ahl’s goal extended the current unbeaten streak for the Hounds (6-6-5) to seven games.
Eric Dick tied his season high with five saves for the Hounds, who were outshot 15-10 overall.
First half
Bonfiglio was Miami’s biggest threat throughout the night, and he nearly gave the visitors a lead in the 19th minute when he received a pass at the back post, but his one-touch shot skimmed off the top of the crossbar.
Minutes later, Luke Biasi picked out Danny Griffin making a run through the Hounds’ box, but the captain’s attempt to shoot from close range was deflected high by a Miami boot at the last second.
Griffin came close again from the right side of the box when Bradley Sample put a pass on his feet, but his curling shot again took a touch off a defender and rolled just wide of the goal.
Sample had the first half’s best chance when Perrin Barnes lifted a cross from the right side. The midfielder headed the ball toward the left post, but it struck the far bar squarely and bounced back into the arms of Miami goalkeeper Felipe Rodriguez.
Second half
Miami had a pair of early chances, the first on a shot from the top of the box by Bonfiglio that Dick parried away with a dive to his left. Shortly after that, Cristian Vazquez found space between Hounds defenders, but his shot struck the crossbar and rolled wide to safety.
Sample again had a chance inside the box on a feed from Robbie Mertz in the 63rd minute. The first shot attempt from 10 yards was blocked, but the rebound came back to Sample, whose second effort was pushed barely to the left of goal.
Bonfiglio opened the scoring with only seven minutes until stoppage time, netting a simple finish in front of goal after making a central run to receive the low pass from the left side delivered by Allen Gavilanes.
That ramped up the Hounds’ urgency even further heading into stoppage time, where the Hounds first had a shout for a penalty kick when Junior Etou was knocked down in the box, but the tackle was deemed fair by the referee.
Etou bounced back quickly, however, making his way down the left side to send a cross toward the near post. Ahl was running to meet the pass, and the first-year pro from Florida applied a well-placed header that sneaked between the post and Rodriguez.
Modelo Man of the Match
Eric Dick played a critical role in a tight contest, tying his season high with five saves. That included a pair of diving stops, and he also collected the ball 12 times from Miami passes and crosses.
What’s next?
The Hounds face another key home match for playoff positioning when they host Rhode Island FC (4-8-5) at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 2 at Highmark Stadium. The teams have split two meetings this season, both 1-0, with the Hounds winning the league contest on the road but losing at home in a Jägermeister Cup match.
Riverhounds SC lineup (3-4-2-1) — Eric Dick; Guillaume Vacter, Sean Suber, Beto Ydrach; Luke Biasi, Jackson Walti, Bradley Sample (Junior Etou 77’), Perrin Barnes; Robbie Mertz (Charles Ahl 77’), Danny Griffin, Augi Williams (Bertin Jacquesson 56’)
Miami FC lineup (4-2-3-1) — Felipe Rodriguez; Nicolas Cardona, Bolu Akinyode, Daltyn Knutson, Jonathan Ricketts; Diego Mercado, Matias Romero (Francesco Celeste 67’); Lucas Melano (Kevin Hoyos 81’), Sebastian Blanco (Allen Gavilanes 67’), Cristian Vazquez (Deian Veron 73’); Francisco Bonfiglio
Scoring summary
MIA — Francisco Bonfiglio 83’ (Allen Gavilanes)
PIT — Charles Ahl 90+5’ (Junior Etou)
Discipline summary
PIT — Jackson Walti 51’ (caution – tactical foul)
