(Aug. 23, 2023) — JC Obregón came to the Riverhounds’ rescue late, as the former Hartford man scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute to push the Hounds past Hartford Athletic, 4-3, tonight at Trinity Health Stadium in Hartford, Conn.
The Hounds (14-5-8) got two goals from Albert Dikwa and one by Marc Ybarra to establish a three-goal lead, but Hartford (4-17-4) roared back with three goals in eight minutes by Matt Sheldon, Danny Barrera and Antoine Hoppenot to nearly stun the Eastern Conference leaders.
First half
Dikwa took advantage of some lax Hartford defending to give the Hounds a 2-0 lead with goals in the 13th and 18th minutes.
His first was a close-range tap-in of a deflected ball struck by Ybarra, and his second was on the rebound of his own shot off the post, giving the striker from Cameroon his 14th goal of the season to tie for the USL Championship lead. He also now has 31 goals in four seasons with the Hounds, moving him into the top five in club history.
Hartford had chances to pull a goal back, most notably when Elvis Amoh chipped a ball around charging Hounds goalie Jahmali Waite, only to see Pat Hogan race back and clear the chance off the line. The hosts also had a late penalty claim denied on a handling call against Arturo Ordóñez, but the referee rules the foul occurred just outside the box.
Second half
Things kept getting better for the Hounds in the 52nd minute, when Ybarra played a pass wide to Dani Rovira and got on the receiving end of the return pass for a headed goal. It was the first professional goal for Ybarra, the second-year pro out of Michigan who was playing his 50th USL Championship match.
Hartford came storming back starting in the 78th minute, when Sheldon redirected a high ball into the box by Juan Pablo Torres for a headed goal. Just three minutes later, the match was 3-2 after Barrera buried an open shot from the top of the box after being picked out by a Hoppenot pass.
In the 86th minute, Hartford pulled level when Hoppenot managed to stab the ball into the net after a scramble in the goal box that the Hounds were unable to clear, but the home team’s joy was short-lived.
Rovira picked out Obregón with a pass the striker was able to take on his chest before turning and shooting high into the Hartford goal. It was the third goal since signing last month for Obregón, and his second against his former team in as many matches.
Heineken Man of the Match
Albert Dikwa had already been withdrawn from the game by the frantic final 20 minutes, but the Hounds’ leading scorer made his mark with a pair of first-half goals. He was a constant presence pressuring the Hartford back line, contesting a team-high 15 duels, winning six of them, as well as earning a pair of free kicks.
What’s next?
The Hounds complete their three-game road trip with a highly anticipated match at defending champion San Antonio FC (13-4-8) at 9 p.m. this Saturday, Aug. 26. The teams have not met this year, and last year’s lone meeting went San Antonio’s way, 1-0, in Pittsburgh.
Riverhounds SC lineup (5-3-2) — Jahmali Waite; Dani Rovira, Nate Dossantos (Junior Etou 65’), Arturo Ordóñez, Pat Hogan, Langston Blackstock (Luke Biasi 65’); Kenardo Forbes, Danny Griffin, Marc Ybarra (Robbie Mertz 65’); Edward Kizza (Joe Farrell 83’), Albert Dikwa (JC Obregón 70’)
Hartford Athletic lineup (3-5-2) — Joe Rice; Niall Logue (Danny Barrera 55’), Conor McGlynn, Triston Hodge (Kaveh Rad 69’); Matt Sheldon, Beverly Makangila (Juan Pablo Torres 55’), Andre Lewis, Edgardo Rito (Kembo Kibato 65’), Luke Merrill (Antoine Hoppenot 55’); Elvis Amoh, Prince Saydee
Scoring summary
PIT — Albert Dikwa 13’
PIT — Albert Dikwa 18’
PIT — Marc Ybarra 52’ (Dani Rovira)
HFD — Matt Sheldon 78’ (Juan Pablo Torres)
HFD — Danny Barrera 81’ (Antoine Hoppenot)
HFD — Antoine Hoppenot 86’
PIT — JC Obregón 88’ (Dani Rovira)
Discipline summary
HFD — Luke Merrill 38’ (caution – reckless foul)
HFD — Triston Hodge 43’ (caution – reckless foul)
HFD — Head coach Omid Namazi (caution – dissent)
PIT — Marc Ybarra 57’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Dani Rovira 90+4’ (caution – delaying restart)
HFD — Kaveh Rad 90+7’ (caution – reckless foul)
