PITTSBURGH (July 26, 2023) — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds suffered their first home loss of the season tonight at Highmark Stadium, where Indy Eleven raced out to an early lead and maintained their advantage to take the game, 3-1.
Aodhan Quinn, Sebastián Guenzatti and Harrison Robledo scored for Indy (6-7-7) before Tola Showunmi got a late goal for the Hounds (10-4-8).
Before the match, a ceremony was held to honor former Hounds coach and general manager Gene Klein, who died Monday of cancer. Players and staff wore commemorative “GK” armbands, and many of Klein’s family and former colleagues were in attendance.
First half
A game with not much in it got its first goal in stunning fashion.
Hounds goalkeeper Jahmali Waite stepped out of his box to send the ball to midfield, where Quinn took the clearance off his chest in the 13th minute. The veteran midfielder took one more touch before lashing a perfect half-volley from 40 yards away, dropping the ball in the top corner over the retreating Waite.
Indy added its second in the 35th minute when Cam Lindley sent a pass from the right flank behind the Hounds defense. Veteran forward Guenzatti managed to get a boot to the ball with defenders draped over him, putting the Hounds in a two-goal hole at home for the first time this season.
Second half
The Hounds had their best stretch of play to begin the second half, but the final touch was lacking, as the team didn’t record a shot on goal until the final 10 minutes.
JC Obregón came close to getting his first Hounds goal in the 54th minute with a shot from the top of the box that missed inches wide of the right post. Indy, meanwhile, didn’t record a shot from their second goal until the 67th minute, but the Eleven soon added to their lead.
Douglas Martinez led the counter attack down the right side, and with the Hounds pushing numbers forward, Robledo had acres of space to tap the pass from Martinez.
The Hounds had more chances late, the best being a give-and-go between Danny Griffin and Showunmi that ended with Griffin’s low shot being too close to the goalkeeper. Showunmi got the Hounds on the board in the 89th minute by using his strength to receive a pass from Marc Ybarra before turning and shooting.
Heineken Man of the Match
Danny Griffin was his usual workmanlike self on a night the Hounds were not at their best. Griffin won 6 of 8 duels, won possession eight times and connected on 58 of a team-high 74 passes for an 81 percent clip.
What’s next?
Facing their first losing streak of the season, the Hounds again have to bounce back on short rest when they host Memphis 901 FC (8-5-6) on Saturday, July 29 at 7 p.m. at Highmark Stadium. The Hounds won at Memphis, 3-1, in the second game of the season back on March 18.
Riverhounds SC lineup (5-2-1-2) — Jahmali Waite; Langston Blackstock (Dani Rovira 78’), Trevor Zwetsloot (Tola Showunmi 62’), Arturo Ordóñez, Pat Hogan (JC Obregón 46’), Burke Fahling (Kenardo Forbes 46’); Danny Griffin, Junior Etou; Robbie Mertz; Edward Kizza (Marc Ybarra 46’), Albert Dikwa
Indy Eleven lineup (4-2-3-1) — Tim Trilk; Younes Boudadi, Callum Chapman-Page (Adrian Diz 46’), Mechak Jérôme, Robby Dambrot (Roberto Molina 90+4’); Cam Lindley, Aodhan Quinn; Solomon Asante (Macauley King 78’), Sebastián Guenzatti, Harrison Robledo (Sebastián Velásquez 78’); Stéfano Pinho (Douglas Martinez 61’)
Scoring summary
IND — Aodhan Quinn 13’
IND — Sebástian Guenzatti 35’ (Cam Lindley)
IND — Harrison Robledo 73’ (Douglas Martinez)
PIT — Tola Showunmi 89’ (Marc Ybarra)
Discipline summary
IND — Cam Lindley 34’ (caution – dissent)
PIT — Arturo Ordóñez 43’ (caution – dissent)
PIT — Tola Showunmi 90+3’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
