Riverhounds Fall to City Islanders 2-0

July 20, 2012 - USL PRO (USL PRO) Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Pittsburgh-On a cool Friday night, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds lose to the Harrisburg City Islanders 2-0 in the third and final meeting of the Keystone Derby. The City Islanders received a goal in the 4th minute from Tom Mellor and one from Lucky Mkosano in the 85th minute of play. With the win, the City Islanders remain in fifth place in the USL PRO league standings.

The City Islanders took an early lead when J.T. Noone played a long diagonal ball for Garret Pettis streaking down the left flank. Outpacing his marker to the end-line, Pettis cut the ball back towards the top of the penalty area for an onrushing Mellor. Taking a first time shot with his left foot, Mellor whistled a high shot just inside the near upright past Hunter Gilstrap.

The two sides exchanged equal possession throughout the remainder of the first half. The Riverhounds would create a handful of scoring opportunities, but their attempts would be stifled by Harrisburg's goalkeeper Nick Noble.

Coming out of the halftime break, the intensity on the field began to pick up. Physical tackles and quick counter attacks became the norm as the game's tempo increased, creating space for the teams to move the ball with ease.

The Riverhounds received the best scoring opportunity when Matt Kassel played a through ball into the right corner for Stefan Lundberg. Turning his marker inside out with a crafty touch inside, Lundberg fired a low left-footed shot towards the near post. Lundberg's shot beat a diving Noble, but trickled just outside the near post.

The City Islanders added an insurance goal in the 85th minute when Sainey Tourey picked off a pass at midfield. Beating his marker on the dribble, Tourey forced Gilstrap off his line and into a one-on-one opportunity. Lifting a shot over Gilstrap, Tourey's shot ricocheted off the crossbar and back to the feet of Mkosano. Bringing the bouncing ball down with confidence, Mkosano passed the ball into the open net to put the Islanders up by two goals.

The Riverhounds travel overnight to meet the Rochester Rhinos tomorrow night at Sahlen's Stadium. The game is scheduled to kickoff at 7:05 PM. The City Islanders return to Skyline Sports Complex on City Island next Saturday to host the Los Angeles Blues for a 7:00 PM kickoff.

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