Tuesday, May 14, 2013
PITTSBURGH -- In a physical first-round matchup in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds defeated RWB Adria Tuesday night at Highmark Stadium 5-4 in a penalty shootout after the two teams had played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and overtime. The Riverhounds advance into the second round to face the Ocean City Nor’easters next Tuesday at Carey Stadium in New Jersey.
RWB Adria took advantage of a defensive miscue by the Riverhounds in the 17th minute of play to take the lead. Tracking back for a deep ball into the corner, a Riverhounds defender attempted to play goalkeeper Greg Blum, but his pass was intercepted by Carlos Munoz just inside the penalty area. Taking a touch to prepare his body, Munoz passed the ball into the empty net to open the scoring.
The Riverhounds would begin to apply steady pressure on Adria’s defense following their goal, but stellar net-minding by Igor Dimov would deny the Riverhounds the equalizer in the first stanza.
Following the intermission, the Riverhounds would jump in to the attack with pace and numbers, leading to a stretched Adria defense. The Riverhounds received a corner in the 53rd minute, which resulted in the equalizing tally from Seth C’deBaca. Ryan Kinne delivered a left-to-right corner kick towards the back post. The ball deflected off of a few players and landed at the feet of Mike Green near the edge of the penalty area. Green set the ball back for an on-rushing C’deBaca. Striking the ball cleanly and with pace, C’deBaca’s shot snuck just inside the near upright to bring the score level.
Neither side would let their guard down throughout the next hour of play, forcing the match to end through a penalty shootout. The first three shooters for both sides converted their shots from the spot with ease. The Riverhounds would receive some help from the woodwork in the fourth frame, when Adria’s shot struck the bottom of the crossbar and ricocheted out from the goalmouth to deny the visitors. The Riverhounds then converted their final two shots to send them through into the second round of the tournment and a trip to Ocean City.
The Riverhounds return to USL PRO action this Saturday when they host the Dayton Dutch Lions at Highmark Stadium. Promoting the game as ‘Armed Forces Night’, the Riverhounds will honor representatives from the Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy throughout the night. The grandstand is sold-out, but limited seats are still available in the supporters’ section. Standing room only tickets along the highly favored river view concourse are also available. To purchase tickets, visit Riverhounds.com/tickets or call the Highmark Stadium Box Office at (412) 224-4900.