Sports stats



USL Austin Bold FC

Austin Bold FC Claim First Away Victory of 2021 with 1-0 Win over Pittsburgh

June 6, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Austin Bold FC News Release


Austin, TX Austin Bold FC claimed the first away win of the 2021 USL Championship season with a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Highmark Stadium. The Bold jumped out to an early lead with a Collin Fernandez goal in the match's first minute. A solid defensive performance from Austin succeeded the bulk of the possession but kept the Riverhounds to only one shot on target. A barrage of dangerous chances in the final ten minutes from Thomas Williamson and Russell Cicerone called Bold goalkeeper Elliot Paniccio into action. Still, the backline stood strong to secure all three points on the night. Bold are back on the road this Saturday as they travel west to take on New Mexico United on ESPN+.

Collin Fernandez wasted no time claiming his first goal for Austin Bold with his left-footed shot in the 1'. Pittsburgh struggled to defend a Bold long ball, and an Ates Diouf flick found Ugo Okoli at the top of the box. The number nine did well to control the ball and laid it off to Fernadez, who hit a half volley from outside the box past Riverhounds goalkeeper Daniel Vitiello.

The Riverhounds controlled possession for most of the match but were limited to only one shot on target. Austin took their chances on the counter-attack with Xavi Baez in the 20' and Owayne Gordon in the 26'. Vitiello easily handled both.

The final ten minutes saw Pittsburgh battle hard for an equalizer and produced three dangerous chances. Williamson attacked the Bold defense, cut inside, and hit an outside-the-box curler in 81' that Panicco easily caught. A Cicerone header went over the crossbar in the 81' and another header in the 88' that just missed the bottom left corner. The Bold held on and claimed all three points on the night.

Austin Bold FC returns to Bold Stadium on June 22 at 8:00 PM to take on Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. With single-game tickets starting at $15 and season ticket memberships starting at $190, every member of the Bold Familia has a way to cheer on their neighborhood soccer club.

Post Match Quotes:

Austin Bold FC head coach Marcelo Serrano on the night's victory

"Happy is an understatement. The win shows the great character of the players and humans we have in our squad. Today, you saw leadership across the board, from back to front and sidelines. We knew we were going to come into a tough environment in Pittsburgh. If you know the history of [Riverhounds Head Coach] Bob Lilley, you know he puts together incredibly strong teams. We knew the style of play we were going to come up against was going to be very tough. To play the very disciplined soccer we did, you nee everyone running for everyone. And they did. We saw unity out there. It's a great sign that we're stepping in the right direction. We're going to build on that."

Marcelo Serrano on the team's mentality in Pittsburgh.

"The whole squad is hungry for success. Everybody has the ability to turn up and put on an amazing performance. There was a collective mentality. We saw heart on the field, and every player represented Austin."

Collin Fernandez on scoring his first goal with Austin Bold FC.

"It felt amazing to score my first goal with The Bold! I'm very proud of the team today, we gave everything we had and now we get to come home with 3 points."

Check out the Austin Bold FC Statistics



United Soccer League Championship Stories from June 6, 2021


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.

OurSports Central