Dixon Scores Late as Hounds, Battery Play End-To-End 3-3 Draw
September 27, 2021 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC News Release
PITTSBURGH - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC got a late Alex Dixon goal to level the scores, and the Hounds and Charleston Battery played out a thrilling 3-3 draw Saturday night at Highmark Stadium.
Dixon's volley in the 87th minute, set up by an overhead kick assist from Tommy Williamson, spared the Hounds (14-7-6) from defeat after letting a 2-0 lead slip away. Todd Wharton and Shane Wiedt scored the first two goals for the Hounds.
Charleston (8-9-7) made their comeback with a goal by Leland Archer and two in the second half by Claudio Repetto to take a 3-2 lead with nine minutes to play.
First half
The Hounds came out on the front foot and grabbed a lead just six minutes into the game. Russell Cicerone hit a low, diagonal cross from the right wing that made it all the way across to Wharton on the back post for the finish, his third goal of the season.
Cicerone, the Hounds' leading scorer, played helper again on the Hounds' second goal in the 27th minute. Kenardo Forbes hit a corner kick beyond the back post, and with little angle to go for goal, Cicerone wisely headed the ball back across goal, where center back Wiedt was waiting to head in his first goal with the Hounds.
But Charleston came right back with a corner kick of their own in the 35th minute, as Archer beat the Hounds to the near post and powerfully headed a Robbie Crawford corner in on the short side of goalkeeper Danny Vitiello.
Second half
Another set-piece goal from the Battery tied the match in the 68th minute, as Repetto got on the end of an Angelo Kelly-Rosales free kick to level the score with a back-post header.
Then, in the 81st minute, Repetto put the Battery ahead with a nice finish from the center of the penalty area after some good ball movement by the Battery - one of the few times the Hounds were broken down in the run of play.
The Charleston lead lasted just six minutes, though, as Williamson made a run down the right channel to receive a through ball from the back. The ball hopped up on the first-year forward, and he opted for the quick pass over his own head. The pass hit Dixon in stride, and the veteran stroked home his ninth goal of the season, sending the briefly quieted crowd of 3,529 into celebration.
The Hounds nearly stole a late winner, as a close-range header by Anthony Velarde was saved by Charleston's Joe Kuzminsky, and Dixon dragged an open stoppage-time shot just wide of the goal.
The game's final sequence was a wild one, as Tom Judge had an open look at the net, only to have his header blocked in desperation by Archer. The Battery quickly countered, and only a sliding block by Ezra Armstrong for the last touch of the game prevented Charleston from a potential winning goal on the other end.
Hounds Man of the Match
Todd Wharton scored the opening goal playing in a higher-than-usual position on the field, but his contributions shone in other areas. He combined with Dixon and Cicerone to provide good pressure on the Charleston defense, causing multiple turnovers in their own end. Wharton also completed 27 of 31 passes (a team-high 87.1 percent), shared the team lead in tackles with four and added two clearances.
What's next?
The battle for home field in the playoffs comes to a head the next three weeks, beginning with the second-place Hounds' first-ever road trip to Miami, where they will face third-place Miami FC (12-7-6) at 7:30 p.m. next Saturday. Miami was hosting Loudoun United tonight in a game delayed by weather.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC lineup (5-1-3-1) - Danny Vitiello; Dani Rovira (Tommy Williamson 83'), Preston Kilwien (Ezra Armstrong 89'), Shane Wiedt, Jelani Peters, Jordan Dover (Louis Perez 77'); Danny Griffin; Todd Wharton (Anthony Velarde 77'), Kenardo Forbes, Alex Dixon; Russell Cicerone (Tom Judge 89')
Charleston Battery lineup (3-4-3) - Joe Kuzminsky; Pat Hogan (DZ Hogan 45'), Leland Archer, Jarad van Schaik; AJ Paterson, Erik McCue (Burke Fahling 85'), Angelo Kelly, Robbie Crawford; Stauros Zerokostas, Claudio Repetto, Nicque Daley (Josh Penn 74')
Scoring summary
PIT - Todd Wharton 6' (Russell Cicerone)
PIT - Shane Wiedt 27' (Russell Cicerone)
CHS - Leland Archer 35' (Robbie Crawford)
CHS - Claudio Repetto 68' (Angelo Kelly)
CHS - Claudio Repetto 81'
PIT - Alex Dixon 87' (Tommy Williamson)
Discipline summary
PIT - Preston Kilwien 4' (caution - unsporting behavior)
CHS - Robbie Crawford 32' (caution - unsporting behavior)
PIT - Dani Rovira 68' (caution - persistent infringement)
CHS - Claudio Repetto 81' (caution - unsporting behavior)
CHS - Leland Archer 90+4' (caution - unsporting behavior)
PIT - Tommy Williamson 90+5' (caution - unsporting behavior)
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