Sunday, May 5, 2013
FULLERTON, Calif. -- The Los Angeles Blues extended their undefeated streak at Titan Stadium to four games with a 0-0 draw against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Sunday night. Gabriel Gonzalez and Shay Spitz had four shots apiece for the Blues, but neither side was able to break the deadlock.
Chris Cortez and Cory Miller contributed their share of effort with three shots apiece, but Pittsburgh goalkeeper Hunter Gilstrap recorded four saves for his second shutout of the season.
The game opened up with a lot of back and forth between both sides, with the best chances of the first half coming in the 21st and 24th minutes. Pittsburgh's Robert Vincent had the first, as the midfielder struck the ball straight toward the Blues' goal from distance, forcing a save by Carl Woszczynski, who punched the shot away. Three minutes later, the Blues saw their best opportunity when a crafty pass from Juan Perez found Cortez inside the 18, but his shot was denied by Gilstrap.
The Blues pushed forward more aggressively in the second half, and came close to breaking the deadlock in the 69th minute when a good passing movement found Spitz breaking into the penalty area, only for his shot to hit the inside of the left post and rebound to safety, allowing the Riverhounds the clear.
Spitz was again involved with 15 minutes to go as his cross from the left found Gonzalez 10 yards from goal, but the forward's header went just wide of the right post. The Riverhounds, who had earned a 1-1 draw against Phoenix on Friday night, were able to see out the remainder of the contest and take a second point from their west-coast trip.
The Blues are now 4-3-1 and still remain undefeated at Titan Stadium. Next on their schedule is the first of two games this season against the LA Galaxy Reserves, to be held on Tuesday night at the Home Depot Center Track Stadium at 7 p.m. PT. Admission and parking are free. The return contest between the two teams will be played at Titan Stadium on Saturday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. PT.