Wednesday, May 16, 2012
HARRISBURG, Pa. -- Honors ended even between the Harrisburg City Islanders and Pittsburgh Riverhounds as Pennsylvania's two USL PRO teams fought to a 0-0 draw on Wednesday night at Skyline Sports Complex. In front of a crowd of 1,081, the game progressed in intensity as the night wore on, each side showing their desperation for a win and a much-needed three points. Missed opportunities would define the match, however, as neither team could capitalize on the other’s mistakes.
The City Islanders created several chances throughout the game, but also gave away many of their own. J.T. Noone and Morgan Langley combined for six of the home team’s 13 shots, notching three apiece. Langley’s miss, going just wide of the right post, in the 33rd would be indicative of the evening for the Islanders, who couldn’t solve the riddle posed by Pittsburgh keeper Hunter Gilstrap.
Gilstrap’s eight-save effort kept Pittsburgh in the game.
In the 59th minute, Gilstrap made consecutive stops against the Islanders' attack, first on a shot by Noone and then on the rebound attempt by second-half substitution Drew Yates. A corner immediately followed and Yates aired for the header only to see it sail above the crossbar. A last-resort long ball by Bilal Duckett in the 86th – inches away from a streaking Yann Ekra – would yield no result as it was quickly swiped away by an oncoming Gilstrap.
At the other end of the field, Gilstrap’s counterpart Nick Noble made three saves including a finger-bruising shot by the Riverhounds’ Darren Amoo in the 54th minute. Amoo’s break through the Islanders' defense brought him penalty area. Waiting for him was Noble, who winced after taking the striker’s rocket at point-blank range.
The goalkeepers’ efforts made up for defensive miscues from both squads. Harrisburg piled up 16 fouls and fell victim to several through-balls and long counter-attempts. Rookie Tom Brandt made two key stops in the back during the opening minutes of the game. Making his second-straight start for the injured Dustin Bixler, Brandt nixed two dangerous passes by the Riverhounds’ offense with only the keeper Noble behind him.
With the tie, Pittsburgh moves to 2-5-1 on the season, while Harrisburg goes to 1-1-3. The Riverhounds head back to Pittsburgh to host the Richmond Kickers on Friday, May 18. In the midst of a six-game home stand, the City Islanders will next face the Dayton Dutch Lions FC at Skyline Sports Complex on Saturday, May 19.