Pittsburgh Riverhounds News Release -- www.riverhounds.com
Friday, June 14, 2013
PITTSBURGH – The Pittsburgh Riverhounds welcome defending USL PRO Champions, the Charleston Battery, to Highmark Stadium on Saturday night for their final meeting of the regular season. Carrying a seven-game undefeated streak into the match against the third-place Battery, the eighth-placed Riverhounds enter Saturday night knowing that a win will continue their ascent up the USL PRO standings. The top eight teams in the league will advance to the USL PRO Playoffs, which commence in late August. The match will complete a six-game home stand for the Riverhounds and is scheduled for a 7 p.m. kick off.
“This match brings us to the mid-point of the season and the team has played very well over the last month or so,” said Head Coach Justin Evans. “With the defending champions coming to town, this will be a good test for us.”
The two clubs met at Blackbaud Stadium in late April, seeing the Battery’s Mike Azira convert a goal in each half to defeat the Riverhounds 2-0. Since that loss to the Battery, the Riverhounds have maintained an undefeated record in USL PRO play.
The Battery opened Blackbaud Stadium in 1999 as the first-ever privately funded soccer stadium in North America and will travel to the Nation’s newest privately funded soccer stadium, in Highmark Stadium, during Father’s Day weekend. Not only do the two franchises share this accomplishment, but both, the Riverhounds Head Coach Justin Evans and CEO Jason Kutney played for the Battery in 2004 and 2005. With so many close ties between the clubs, Saturday night’s match-up will be tremendous for the history of soccer in North America.
“Charleston is where I learned to be a professional on and off the field, and Blackbaud Stadium inspired Highmark Stadium in many ways,” said Kutney. “The Battery is a first-class organization and they are defending champs and as such, a Riverhounds win on Saturday night would mean four points to me!”
The Riverhounds return to Highmark Stadium next Sunday, June 23, when they host the Antigua Barracuda FC for the second leg of the 2013 regular season. During the game, the Riverhounds are hosting the ‘Hounds Beach Bash’ to celebrate the start of summer. A variety of fun free activities will be available for kids in attendance. To purchase tickets, visit Riverhounds.com or call the Highmark Stadium Box Office at (412) 224-4900.