In Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC’s 6-0 win against Philadelphia Union II on Saturday, a couple rookies had a day to remember.
En route to the victory at Subaru Park, both Danny Griffin and Lukas Fernandes scored their first career professional goals.
For Griffin’s goal in the 37th minute, it all started with a Jordan Dover interception deep in Philadelphia territory. Then came a beautiful passing display from the Hounds, as five players touched the ball before it went into the back of the net.
Dover hit Ropapa Mensah at the top of the box, who sent a quick pass to Griffin in the center of the penalty box. Griffin then hit Ryan James on the left side, who then passed it out to Robbie Mertz, getting two Philadelphia defenders to overcommit. The Pittsburgh native then passed it back to Griffin, who avoided a Philadelphia defender and launched a shot into the bottom-left corner.
Lukas Fernandes also scored his first career goal off a turnover – this time coming in the 67th minute. Dover started the play once again, and got it over to Mark Forrest on the right side of the pitch. Forrest hit Kenardo Forbes, who then hit Griffin in the center of the penalty box. From here, the Philadelphia defense collapsed on Griffin, leaving Fernandes open in front of the net. The midfielder took it in stride and snuck a shot past Philadelphia goalkeeper Ben Martino.
Both Griffin and Fernandes will be back in action with the rest of the Hounds this Wednesday, as the club will face Indy Eleven at Highmark Stadium to mark its home opener. The match is set to kick off at 6 p.m. and will be nationally televised on ESPN2.
