USL Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Riverhounds and Kickers Finish Tied at One

Published on May 18, 2012 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


Pittsburgh - The Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2-5-2) and the Richmond Kickers (1-2-4) finish tied, 1-1 Friday night at Chartiers Valley Stadium. The Riverhounds Dawyne 'Ricky' Smith tallies his first professional goal in the 45th minute of the game, while the Kickers Matt Delicate records his third goal of the season in the 71st minute.

The game opened with dramatic style as both sides received quality opportunities in the first five minutes of play. The Kickers would press forward quickly and nearly caught the Riverhounds out of shape when Luke Vercollone's service found the foot of Edson Elcock deep inside the Riverhounds penalty area. Elcock's redirection went just wide of the goal to deny the Kickers the early lead in the third minute.

Transitioning quickly through the midfield, the Riverhounds nearly converted the game's first goal one minute later. Rich Costanzo played a diagonal ball to Stefan Lundberg on the right flank. Turning his marker inside out, Lundberg found Shintaro Harada at the edge of the Kickers penalty area. Taking a quick side-volley with his left foot, Harada beat the Kickers goal minder Ronnie Pascale, but was denied by the near upright.

The game's pace settled down for the remainder of the half with both sides battling for possession in the middle of the filed. The Riverhounds looked to combine and attack with numbers while the Kickers played more direct by linking play through Delicate.

The Riverhounds would break through the Kickers defense with less than a minute to play in the first half. Changing the point of attack, Matt Kassel found Anthony Calvano releasing down the right sideline. Looking up the field, Calvano recognized that Smith was isolated with his marker. Slotting a ball through to the near post, Smith fought off his marker and struck a hard, high shot past Pascale at the near post to put the Riverhounds up at the break.

After the intermission the pace of the game increased for both sides, seeing counter attacks and direct play becoming the norm. The Riverhounds and Kickers would exchange equal opportunities to score in the first twenty minutes, but neither side would reach the back of the net.

In the 71st minute, the Kickers would capitalize on a mistake by the Riverhounds. Vercollone delivered a long ball over the top of the Riverhounds defense. Running on to the ball in traffic, Niko Katic headed a ball back for Hunter Gilstrap, but a collision occurred between Gilstrap and David Bulow allowing the ball to bounce free for Delicate. Wasting no time, Delicate headed the ball into the back of the net to tie the game at one.

The Riverhounds continued to push forward and nearly earned the game winner in the 90th minute. A combination between Smith and Darren Amoo at the edge of the Kickers penalty area provided Amoo with enough space to deliver a dangerous cross in front of the goal. Slashing through the box, Kassel redirected Amoo's cross towards goal, but his shot trickled just wide of the goal.

The Riverhounds and Kickers return to action on Tuesday for the second round of the U.S. Open Cup. The Riverhounds will host the Michigan Bucks of the PDL at Chartiers Valley Stadium while the Kickers will host Dulles Sportsplex Aegean Hawks of the USASA at City Stadium. Both games are scheduled for a 7:00 PM kickoff.

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from May 18, 2012


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