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Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC

Hounds, City Islanders Battle to Draw in Derby Cup Finale

August 28, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release


HARRISBURG, Pa. - The Pittsburgh Riverhounds (5-15-5) battled the Harrisburg City Islanders (7-14-5) to a 1-1 draw at FNB Field in the finale of the Keystone Derby Cup presented by the Pennsylvania Lottery and K&L Gates.

The Hounds bid for a second-straight Keystone Derby Cup title fell short with the result, as Harrisburg's 2-1 defeat of Pittsburgh at Highmark Stadium this past July proved to be the deciding factor in the season series - the clubs also played to a draw on July 4.

Potting the lone tally for the Hounds was Sergio Campbell in the 70th minute, while Craig Foster opened the match's scoring only minutes earlier in the 65th minute. Competition was even throughout with Pittsburgh holding a shots and shots on goal advantage of 11-to-8 and 6-to-5, respectively.

The Hounds got out to a fast start, with Corey Hertzog, playing near his hometown of Reading, Pennsylvania, creating two chances early. First, in the eighth minute, Hertzog had a go from distance to force goalkeeper Keasel Broome to make a diving save to his right and give the Hounds their first corner of the match. Then in the 21st minute, midfielder Lebo Moloto fed Hertzog, who entered the match having scored six goals in his past six matches, a useful ballfor a one-on-one opportunity against Broome. The Hounds forward, at an angle, was able to push his shot past the City Islanders keeper, but Hertzog's bid for the far-post on his right just missed keeping the score knotted at zero.

Hertzog continued his strong play into the early stages of the second half, creating a stellar opportunity in the 54th minute. Finding space just inside the right side of the box, Hertzog uncorked a rocket of a shot, forcing Broome to fully extend for a tough save.

Unable to cash in on opportunities in the offensive end, the Hounds saw the City Islanders breakthrough with the match's first tally in the 65th minute. With only three shots up until the goal, Harrisburg's Cardel Benbow facilitated the opening tally by getting behind defender Mike Green and flicking a cross over the head of goalkeeper Zack Steffen to Foster for the finish.

The lead would last momentarily, as the Hounds received a free kick from 40 yards out. Danny Earls, for the second-straight week, sent a beauty of a ball in the box off a set piece, this time seeing Campbell redirect for the goal right in front of Broome. For Earls, it was his third helper on the season, while Campbell nabbed his first career goal as a Hound.

Much like the lead for Harrisburg though, Pittsburgh's momentum came to a halt after a red card was issued to Earls at midfield for a hard sliding challenge in the 74th minute. Down a man for the remainder of the match, the Hounds would push for a go-ahead tally and force the Derby Cup to be decided by tiebreakers, but the effort was to no avail.

Despite just missing out on the in-state prize, the Hounds earned points in back-to-back matches for the first time since April 30 - back-to-back draws in dates at Louisville City FC and Charleston Battery - and have accumulated seven points in their last four matches.

Pittsburgh will continue its three-game road trip with a visit to Orlando City B (8-8-8) next Saturday, September 3, at 7 p.m. For more information on the Hounds' upcoming road date, visit Riverhounds.com.

Line-ups:

Riverhounds - Zack Steffen - Marshall Hollingsworth, Willie Hunt, Sergio Campbell, Mike Green - Danny Earls, Lebo Moloto (Stephen Okai 89'), Kevin Kerr, Drew Russell (Cristian Martinez 59') - Corey Hertzog - Nick Thompson (Chevaughn Walsh 66')

Subs not used: Hunter Gilstrap, Zak Boggs, Jack Thompson, Ryan Adeleye

Harrisburg City Islanders - Keasel Broome - James Thomas, Liam Doyle, Dante Leverock, Shawn McLaws - Cardel Benbow, Bobby Warshaw, Dabo Mouhamed (Brett Jankouskas 86'), Matthew Bolduc (Cameron Vickers 68'), Jose Barril - Craig Foster (Garret Pettis 80')

Subs not used: Nick Noble, Shane Johnson, Joshua Hughes, Paul Wilson

Scoring Summary:

HAR - Craig Foster 65' (Cardel Benbow)

PGH - Sergio Campbell 70' (Danny Earls)

Misconduct Summary:

PGH - Danny Earls 74' (red card)

HAR - Liam Doyle 80' (caution)

PGH - Chevaughn Walsh 85' (caution)

Quote Sheet

Dave Brandt

On the draw...

I think everybody is bitterly disappointed. Not to bring the cup back. Disappointed not to get three points. I thought it was a good, gutty performance. It was our third game in eight days. I thought the boys played really well.

On tonight's performance...

Just stressing now that the guys know what is going on. Asking for more quality. Just outright, pure quality. I thought there was more today. We narrowly missed several chances, and that's a quality issue too. We know that. Goals change games. We could've done very, very well tonight. We will just have to keep working. I do think there was a quality there tonight that we haven't always had.

Thoughts on defense...

It is the second straight, very good game for us played. Our whole team really. [Harrisburg] has some very dangerous attacking play, and they got us once. I thought it was a very good performance.

Kevin Kerr

Overall thoughts...

We came down there with one goal. We know it hasn't been the greatest season. We thought we could at least finish on a high, and keep this cup. Because it means so much to the fans. They were awesome all night long. They deserved it, they absolutely deserved it. It is a bit of a disappointment that we couldn't get the job done.

On the first half play...

All during the first half, I thought that [Harrisburg] clammed up. Creating chances, and giving away very few chances. We came in during half time relatively pleased. We knew we needed two goals. Time was ticking. We went into this thinking "Let's us at least this game." Get the three points, and have all the fans come down onto the field. It's a tough one. The performance was there.

On the intensity of the match...

We know what it is about. We know that we are not going to make playoffs this year. Every game we go out wanting to prove something to ourselves, and we also want to give back to the fans that still stand by us. They are the ones that came down tonight. You could just see it on the field. During my time in football, you are going to have a good season, and you are going to have a bad season. But the one thing as a team that you never want to be called out on, is your effort. Maybe we have this year, maybe we have deservedly. It is something they we desperately wanted to put right, and we wanted to put that right tonight. We really want to finish this season on a high, and try to carry that through to next year.

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The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

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