Riverhounds extend unbeaten streak, despite pouring rain

Jonathan Hanna, Sports Assistant

PITTSBURGH– After a weather delay of an hour, the game between the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Saint Louis FC was able to get underway at Highmark Stadium. The game ended with a 0-0 draw.

On the delayed start time, goalkeeper Ben Lundgaard said “it does (affect us), especially since we came out here and started to warm up and had to go in. It’s a little different if we never came out here at all. The boys did well to cope with it, I mean the (Saint Louis) have to deal with it as well, so it’s kind of even on both sides.”

The Hounds kicked off first, heading west to east, wearing their usual home yellow tops and black bottoms. They had a chance early in the half, on a corner kick, but it was headed out of the box by Saint Louis captain Sam Fink.

Saint Louis answered with a chance of their own in the 10th minute, as Kyle Greig raced down the right flank, but it was cleared away by the Riverhounds defensive corps. At the 18-minute mark, Saint Louis had the best chance of the match, as a pass to Kyle Greig went past a sliding Hounds defender, but it just missed Grieg’s right foot, and into the hands of Ben Lundgaard.

In the 29th minute, Joe Greenspan was issued a yellow card for the Riverhounds due to a foul that was called 90 seconds earlier but play carried on due to advantage. In the 39th minute, the former Colonial Neco Brett had an excellent chance, however, his shot was punched to the side by a diving Jake Fenlason in net for Saint Louis. On the ensuing corner kick, Steevan Dos Santos was issued a yellow card for colliding with Fenlason.

Saint Louis had another great chance before halftime as Joaquin Rivas took a shot from outside the box that caused Ben Lundgaard to dive to his left and stop it. At the half, the score was 0-0, and the rain was still pouring. The Riverhounds had a 6-3 lead on shots.

In the start of the second half, it was similar to the first, with both teams being cautious due to the slippery conditions still in play. Jordan Dover joined Joe Greenspan and Steevan Dos Santos, after earning a yellow card in the 58th minute.

62 minutes through the game, and the weather took a turn for the better, as the rain subsided. For the next 10, not much happened in the game. The Riverhounds made two substitutions, Anthony Velarde on for Mouhamed Dabo in the 66th minute, and Christian Volesky on for Kevin Kerr in the 70th minute.

In the 81st minute, the rain started back up, coming in sheets. However, the rain turned out to not be an issue. After two minutes of stoppage time, the final score was a 0-0 draw between Pittsburgh and Saint Louis. After this game, the Riverhounds are undefeated in their last 10 matches at Highmark Stadium. The Riverhounds ended up with four yellow cards in the game, and outshot Saint Louis 7-6; each team had one shot on target.

In the draw, head coach Bob Lilley thought there were still things to work on, stating “I think we need to pass the ball better. There were more turnovers than we would have liked, we didn’t do a good enough of a job holding the ball up top.” Midfielder Kenardo Forbes added that “dropping a home game, is kind of like a loss.”

Next up for the Hounds is the final game in a three-game homestand. The game will be Saturday, April 27 against Nashville SC. Kickoff from Highmark Stadium will be at 7:00 pm, weather permitting.