PITTSBURGH (Sept. 30, 2023) — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds closed out their home regular-season schedule in winning fashion by knocking off FC Tulsa, 3-2, tonight at Highmark Stadium.
Albert Dikwa scored two goals to extend his USL Championship-leading total to 19, and defender Joe Farrell scored for the second straight game for the Hounds (18-5-9). Keegan Hughes scored in the first half for Tulsa (9-14-9), and Phillip Goodrum added a penalty kick in the final minute of the match.
With the win, the Hounds remain in first place in the USL Championship and tied the league record for home wins in a single season (13). The announced attendance of 6,045 was the first time a Highmark Stadium crowd exceeded 6,000 for a regular-season match, and with an average crowd of 5,012, the Hounds broke their per-game attendance record set in the team’s inaugural season of 1999.
First half
The Hounds got on the board early with a well-executed team goal in the 12th minute. After stringing together more than 10 passes in the final third of the field, Dani Rovira placed a cross from the right side to the back post, where Dikwa was waiting for a headed finish.
Danny Griffin nearly had the second goal for the Hounds after more good ball possession, but his shot from the top of the box struck the base of the right post before being corralled by goalkeeper Michael Nelson.
The lead was doubled in the 29th minute from a Hounds corner kick. The kick was only cleared to the top of the box by Tulsa, where Junior Etou headed the ball back toward the front of the goal. Farrell rose up to redirect the ball with his own header, netting his third goal of the season.
Tulsa pulled a goal back three minutes before halftime, when Milo Yosef sent a free kick into the box from along the left sideline. Hughes elevated in the middle of a crowd and headed the ball into the net, scoring his first goal for Tulsa while on loan from the Columbus Crew of MLS.
Second half
Not content to sit on their lead, the Hounds continued to push forward and finished with an 18-7 edge in shots.
Dikwa restored the two-goal lead in the 63rd minute with the Hounds’ fourth set piece goal in the past two matches. The striker rose to score by heading in a free kick served by Kenardo Forbes, which not only solidified Dikwa’s spot atop the scoring race, but it moved Forbes into a tie for the league assists lead with his 10th of the season. Dikwa now has five goals in four career games against Tulsa.
The Hounds nearly got to the finish with a two-goal win, but a foul at the edge of the box called against Nate Dossantos on Tulsa’ Moses Dyer was given as a penalty kick in the final minute of stoppage time. Goodrum converted the spot kick for his 11th goal of the season.
Heineken Man of the Match
Albert Dikwa continues to pile up goals and honors, and another two-goal performance got the Hounds over the line. Dikwa was also honored after the match as the Steel Army Player of the Year, awarded by the Hounds’ independent supporters group.
What’s next?
The Eastern Conference lead and home field throughout the playoffs will be on the line when the Hounds go on the road to face the Tampa Bay Rowdies (18-8-6) in St. Petersburg, Fla., on Saturday, Oct. 7. A win would secure the Players’ Shield and home field for the Hounds, while a tie would maintain the Hounds’ first-place status going into the final weekend of the season.
Riverhounds SC lineup (5-3-2) — Jahmali Waite; Junior Etou (Langston Blackstock 79’), Nate Dossantos, Joe Farrell, Arturo Ordóñez, Dani Rovira (Luke Biasi 79’); Kenardo Forbes (Robbie Mertz 74’), Danny Griffin, Marc Ybarra; Edward Kizza (JC Obregón 74’), Albert Dikwa (Pat Hogan 87’)
FC Tulsa lineup (4-1-4-1) — Michael Nelson; Patrick Seagrist (Siad Haji 65’), Ruxi, Rashid Tetteh, Keegan Hughes; Nathan Worth (Blaine Ferri 65’); Marcus Epps, Eric Bird (Tommy McCabe 45’), Collin Fernandez (Moses Dyer 65’), Milo Yosef; Phillip Goodrum
Scoring summary
PIT — Albert Dikwa 12’ (Dani Rovira)
PIT — Joe Farrell 29’ (Junior Etou)
TUL — Keegan Hughes 42’ (Milo Yosef)
PIT — Albert Dikwa 63’ (Kenardo Forbes)
TUL — Phillip Goodrum 90+6’ (penalty)
Discipline summary
TUL — Phillip Goodrum 13’ (caution – persistent infringement)
PIT — JC Obregón 84’ (caution – reckless foul)
