
After winning the first match of the Keystone Derby Cup series, presented by K&L Gates and the Pennsylvania Lottery, the Riverhounds (2-3-2) have a short turnaround and will battle Toronto FC II (1-2-3) at 7 p.m. this Wednesday at Highmark Stadium. Pittsburgh held a 1-0-1 record against the Eastern Conference foe in 2016.
Cleaning up
Trey Mitchell and Pittsburgh defense recorded its first shutout of the season against Harrisburg on April 29. The goalkeeper made three saves during the match, helping the Hounds to a 1-0 victory. The Black and Gold will try to obtain its second straight clean sheet against Toronto FC II, a team that has scored no more than one goal in all six of its games this season.
No goals allowed
In its past three matches, Toronto FC II played its opponents to a 0-0 draw. The Hounds were only shut out once this year, losing 1-0 to FC Cincinnati on April 1. This Wednesday, Pittsburgh could be in a low-scoring game where the importance of each goal is magnified.
Cutting corners
In its win against Harrisburg on April 29, Pittsburgh recorded a season-low one corner kick. Despite this total, the Hounds still tallied 11 shots during the game. Having a total of 30 corner opportunities this season, the Black and Gold will to look to acquire more corner opportunities on Wednesday.
Team captain Kevin Kerr recorded a season-high three shots last time out against the City Islanders. He doubled his season total in the statistic and now sits at six shots for the 2017 campaign. Kerr, who has played mostly with Corey Hertzog on the frontline, will once again be in the center of scoring chances on Wednesday.
The Hounds tallied 27 shots on goal in seven matches this season, which is substantially more than the 12 shots on target Toronto FC II has recorded in its six games. Pittsburgh will need to continue to hold the shots on net advantage this Wednesday.