PITTSBURGH (August 3, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (9-3-8) defeated Memphis 901 FC (4-10-6), 4-0, this past Saturday at Highmark Stadium. Tobi Adewole’s goal in the first half set the stage for the night, as Pittsburgh went on to win in convincing fashion.
First Half
Pittsburgh set the tempo early in the first-45 minutes. Shots were plentiful from the Hounds’ strikers in the first half, with six different Pittsburgh players collecting shots in the first 25 minutes of play.
In the 27th minute, Adewole headed one past the Memphis goalkeeper inside the six-yard box to give Pittsburgh the early 1-0 lead. Kenardo Forbes earned an assist on the goal with his corner kick into the penalty box.
The Riverhounds were not done on the scoresheet, cashing in late in the first half. In stoppage time after a shot from Steevan Dos Santos that rang off the crossbar, midfielder Robbie Mertz fielded the rebound. Mertz collected himself and struck a low-powerful blast behind Memphis goalkeeper Jeff Caldwell to give the Hounds a 2-0 advantage going in to the half.
The scoresheet told the tale of the first half. The Riverhounds collected 15 total shots with six being on target. In comparison, Memphis collected one total shot and possessed the ball for only 43 percent of the time.
Second Half
The first 10 minutes of the second half were relatively quiet, with neither club able to make anything happen in their attacking zones.
Memphis did earn a corner kick in the 55th minute, but the chance was quickly cleared out of danger by the Hounds.
Jordan Dover put the Black and Gold back on the scoreboard in the 64th minute. Forbes played a ball to the defender, who chipped a shot just over Caldwell to give Pittsburgh a 3-0 advantage.
The offensive eruption continued just four minutes later, when Dos Santos ripped a shot into the back of the net. The striker snuck behind the defense and played a perfect pass from Ryan James before burying the opportunity.
Pittsburgh continued to dominate the pace of play for the match’s remaining minutes, cruising to a 4-0 victory.
Hound of the Match
Tobi Adewole made his presence known on both ends of the pitch, notching a goal and finishing with team highs in interceptions (three) and clearances (10).
Stat of the Game: 23
The Black and Gold posted a season-high 23 shots in the victory. The club’s previous best (18) came on April 13 against Hartford Athletic.
What’s Next:
The Riverhounds will be back home along the South Shore for a matchup with the Swope Park Rangers (3-10-6) on Saturday, Aug. 10. The Hounds will be hosting Science of the Stadium night presented by the Carnegie Science Center. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. at Highmark Stadium, and tickets can be purchased at ticketmaster.com.
Lineups:
Riverhounds SC – Kyle Morton – Ryan James, Tobi Adewole, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Jordan Dover – Kenardo Forbes (Christian Volesky 76′), Robbie Mertz – Anthony Velarde (Mouhamed Dabo 62′), Kevin Kerr – Steevan Dos Santos (Dani Rovira 75′), Neco Brett
Subs not used: Austin Pack, Noah Franke, Joe Greenspan, Sammy Kahsai
Memphis 901 FC – Jeff Caldwell – Wes Charpie, Marc Burch, Jacob Hauser-Ramsey (Todd Pratzner 75′), Ewan Grandison (Abdi Mohamed 61′) – Adam Najem, Cameron Lindley, Dan Metzger, Leston Paul (Marcus Epps 51′) – Lagos Kunga, Brandon Allen
Subs not used: Scott Levene, Jochen Graf, Morgan Hackworth, Luca Uccello
Scoring Summary:
PIT – Tobi Adewole 27′ (Kenardo Forbes)
PIT – Robbie Mertz 45’+2
PIT – Jordan Dover 64′ (Kenardo Forbes)
PIT – Steevan Dos Santos 69′ (Ryan James)
Misconduct Summary:
MEM – Leston Paul 51′ (caution)
MEM – Dan Metzger 76′ (caution)
PIT – Christian Volesky 90’+1 (caution)
Head coach Bob Lilley
On the team’s performance against Memphis…
“I thought we played pretty well, pretty consistently. I thought we started the game pretty well, created chances and we were aggressive. I thought the second part of the first half we were a little bit loose. Even though we were getting the better chances, I felt we got a bit stretched.”
On how the initial attack shaped the match…
“We’ve been working from the very beginning of the year on keeping the ball. I think even today we played back to our keeper sometimes when we didn’t have to. And I rather have our defenders playing the ball into the front runners instead of the keeper. Kyle [Morton] was able to play out more in the second half. We got everyone involved, and it is not easy for teams to keep track of.”
On the difference in the defensive shape and change…
“We addressed a lot of it, so now we are playing well enough that we don’t have 20 things to fix each week. When you start to play well, you can focus on certain areas. I think we were more consistent managing the spacing on the field better through the game today compared to last week.”
Midfielder Kenardo Forbes
On the team’s overall effort in the win…
“It was good work from the team, from all the boys. We played together as a team today. Maybe it’s our first perfect game. We got some goals and then we defended our goal. That’s a good sign in the backend of the season. Last year, at this point we kind of shut down. I think it’s a good sign for us this season. We’re peaking at the right time. It’s good for the team.”
On this week’s preparation for the match vs. Memphis…
“[Bob Lilley] was just trying to keep us focused because Memphis is kind of at the tail-end in the standings. We were just trying not to take anything for granted. We’re just trying to keep focused and keep us going in the right direction.”
On his assist to Jordan Dover…
“It was me and Kevin on the outside and Jordan made an interior run. Kevin made a good pass to me, I could just see Jordan moving through the space and he was wide open. It was an easy pass, he did all the work for me.”
Defender Jordan Dover
On the difference between last week’s game and this week’s…
“I think we were a little more intentional with our play today. Last week I think we had a good outing, but a couple mistakes towards the tail end of the game. Obviously we don’t want to concede, and I think that was a big focus this week coming into this game. We wanted to keep the ball, keep it moving, but at the same time protect our goal.”
On getting an early lead…
“It’s huge. It sets the tone for the whole game. If we can ever start off well, we feel fairly confident. Getting an early goal always boosts your confidence, makes you close the game out well and get as many goals as possible. It was a great start.”
On his goal…
“Time kind of slows down when you get in that situation. The ball got slipped through to me. My first thought was, ‘Maybe I’m offside”. Then I’m like ‘I have to bury it regardless”. I saw the keeper coming out, and I just tried to get anything around him that I thought would’ve been on target.”
