PITTSBURGH (Aug. 5, 2023) — Albert Dikwa’s goal three minutes into the game stood up as the only tally of the game, and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds solidified their hold on first place in the USL Championship Eastern Conference with a 1-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies tonight at Highmark Stadium.
Dikwa’s goal was his 11th in Championship play. That put the striker two off the league lead, and started a celebration amongst the crowd of 5,490 — setting a new attendance mark for a regular-season match at Highmark for the second week in a row.
Jahmali Waite recorded his seventh league shutout for the Hounds (12-4-8), and he saved the only shot on goal the Rowdies (11-6-5) were able to muster.
First half
The Hounds conceded first in their past three matches, but they shook off their recent slow starts to take an early lead.
Arturo Ordóñez stepped up to win the ball from a Rowdies clearance and sent it all the way forward to Tola Showunmi. The first-year pro used his big frame to corral the ball, and he turned into the penalty area, drawing the Tampa Bay defenders. That allowed him to send a soft pass to Dikwa, who ran open into the box and placed his shot around the goalkeeper for the 1-0 lead.
The teams then settled into something of a stalemate. The Rowdies held 60 percent of possession, but much of that wasn’t dangerous, as the Hounds limited Tampa Bay to only five touches in their box for the entire game.
The Rowdies’ most dangerous moment came in the 44th minute, when their leading scorer, J.J. Williams, managed to wiggle free in the left side of the penalty area. He fired a hard shot toward the near post, but Waite was well-positioned to parry the ball away toward the corner flag.
Second half
Tampa Bay had their best spell of the match early in the second half, but the Rowdies still only managed a pair of off-target chances — a header by Conner Antley from a corner kick and an attempt from distance by Charlie Dennis.
The Hounds were effective at taking the air out of the ball late, possessing deep in Rowdies territory, playing patiently, and winning free kicks to help finish out the game. Over the final 15 minutes of the match, less than 10 percent of play occurred in the Hounds’ defensive third, securing the league-lead-tying 11th shutout of the season for the Hounds.
Heineken Man of the Match
Albert Dikwa started August with a splash after only scoring once while returning from a broken collarbone during July. He netted the winning goal, drew two free kicks — including a critical one in stoppage time — and was always buzzing around the goal with four shots and six touches in the Rowdies’ box.
What’s next?
The Hounds wrap up their four-game homestead and the “Summer of Soccer” at Highmark Stadium when they welcome the last conference opponent they have yet to face, Hartford Athletic (4-14-4). Hartford is at the bottom of the East, but they did win tonight, topping visiting New Mexico, 2-1.
Riverhounds SC lineup (5-3-2) — Jahmali Waite; Luke Biasi, Nate Dossantos (Trevor Zwetsloot 77’), Joe Farrell, Arturo Ordóñez, Dani Rovira (Edward Kizza 65’); Kenardo Forbes (Pat Hogan 77’), Danny Griffin, Marc Ybarra; Tola Showunmi (Langston Blackstock 65’), Albert Dikwa (Robbie Mertz 90+2’)
Tampa Bay Rowdies lineup (3-5-2) — Connor Sparrow; Aarón Guillén, Freddy Kleemann; Conner Antley; Jake Areman, Yann Ekra, Jordan Doherty, Charlie Dennis (Cal Jennings 70’), Dayonn Harris (Abel Caputo 27’); Jake LaCava (Ariel Martínez 79’), J.J. Williams (Lucky Mkosana 79’)
Scoring summary
PIT — Albert Dikwa 3’ (Tola Showunmi)
Discipline summary
PIT — Dani Rovira 34’ (caution – reckless foul)
TBR — Jake LaCava 45+1’ (caution – dissent)
