LEESBURG, Va. (Oct. 19, 2024) — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds put themselves on the doorstep of the USL Championship Playoffs after goals by Edward Kizza and Bertin Jacquesson sent the team to a 2-0 win over Loudoun United FC tonight at Segra Field.
Kizza scored in his fourth straight match for the Hounds (11-10-12), and Jacquesson netted for the fifth time in six matches in front of the 13th clean sheet by goalkeeper Eric Dick, who made four saves to blank Loudoun (11-13-9).
The Hounds will end the day seventh in the Eastern Conference and go into their final match against El Paso, at home next Saturday, knowing a win secures a seventh consecutive playoff berth.
First half
Loudoun, one of the league’s top possession teams, came out true to form, holding more of the ball early and forcing the Hounds to chase.
Even as the game became more even, Loudoun would go on to hold 67 percent of the ball and have a 13-5 edge in shots, but the Hounds limited the clear-cut chances for Loudoun and allowed only one shot on goal in the first half.
The Hounds also had only one shot on goal in the opening 45, but they made it count in the 33rd minute.
Jacquesson was taken down on the right flank, setting up Robbie Mertz to serve a free kick roughly 15 yards from the end line. Mertz curled a ball to the front of goal, and Kizza rose between defenders to head in his career-best 11th goal.
In stoppage time, the Hounds’ defense laid their bodies on the line to keep the shutout intact. Loudoun’s Zach Ryan drew Dick toward him and laid a pass back to Tommy McCabe, but multiple Hounds dove to block away the shot toward an open net, with Pat Hogan getting the biggest piece of it.
Second half
Dick made a pair of saves early in the half, cleanly taking a short-hopper by Yanis Leerman and also catching a Kwame Awuah attempt.
But the Hounds doubled the lead in the 58th minute, somewhat against the run of play. Langston Blackstock got down the left wing with a give-and-go move, and he smartly cut a pass back toward the penalty spot, where Jacquesson arrived for a one-touch finish. It was the seventh goal contribution in six matches (five goals, two assists) for Jacquesson since arriving on loan from Real Salt Lake.
The Hounds put the ball in the net a third time off the foot of Luke Biasi, but Kizza was correctly flagged offside in the build-up.
From that point, defense and clock management were the priority, but Loudoun managed to create a 90th-minute chance in traffic. Riley Bidois fired a shot through bodies that was headed for the right side of the net, but Dick made his best stop of the night to palm the ball wide for a corner.
Junior Etou had a late breakaway with Loudoun throwing numbers forward, but he was denied by goalkeeper Hugo Faroux. The miss wouldn’t matter, as the Hounds warded off two late corner kicks to complete the shutout.
Modelo Man of the Match
Eric Dick all-but locked up the USL Championship Golden Glove with another shutout performance. While his four saves lead the stat sheet, he also commanded his penalty area with a number of contested catches, including a 77th-minute grab that he held while being upended and landing painfully on the ball.
What’s next?
The Hounds host El Paso Locomotive (7-17-8) in their final regular-season match, 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 26, at Highmark Stadium. El Paso is already eliminated from contention and plays later tonight against Sacramento.
Riverhounds SC lineup (5-3-2) — Eric Dick; Luke Biasi (Pierre Cayet 83’), Illal Osumanu, Pat Hogan, Sean Suber, Langston Blackstock; Jackson Walti, Danny Griffin, Robbie Mertz (Dani Rovira 65’); Edward Kizza (Junior Etou 65’), Bertin Jacquesson (Kenardo Forbes 83’)
Loudoun United FC lineup (3-4-3) — Hugo Fauroux; Jacob Erlandson, Yanis Leerman, Keegan Hughes (Wesley Leggett 57’); Kwame Awuah (Robby Dambrot 70’), Tommy McCabe, Drew Skundrich (Riley Bidois 70’), Keegan Tingey; Florian Valot (Tommy Williamson 80’), Zach Ryan, Abdellatif Aboukoura (Alex Nagy 80’)
Scoring summary
PIT — Edward Kizza 33’ (Robbie Mertz)
PIT — Bertin Jacquesson 58’ (Langston Blackstock)
Discipline summary
PIT — Sean Suber 23’ (caution – reckless foul)
LDN — Kwame Awuah 23’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
LDN — Tommy McCabe 44’ (caution – tactical foul)
LDN — Keegan Tingey 86’ (caution – tactical foul)
LDN — Head coach Ryan Martin 89’ (caution – dissent)
PIT — Kenardo Forbes 90+1’ (caution – delaying restart)
PIT — Dani Rovira 90+3’ (caution – tactical foul)
