USL PRO Game Report
Saturday, June 7, 2014
ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Pittsburgh Riverhounds took a 3-2 victory against the Rochester Rhinos at Sahlen's Stadium on Saturday night. Brian Fekete, Rob Vincent and Jose Angulo had the goals as the Riverhounds claimed their first victory in Rochester in club history after Minh Vu had given the Rhinos the lead, and JC Banks pulled a goal back late from the penalty spot.
The Rhinos took the lead in the 25th minute after Alex Dixon was fouled in the middle of the pitch 25 yards out from the Riverhounds goal. Vu and Banks lined up over the ball to take the free kick. Vu ran at the ball first, struck it, and bent it over Pittsburgh's five-man wall into the right side of the Riverhounds net for his second goal of the season.
Pittsburgh got back into the match with set pieces, and scored their opening goal in the 43rd minute. Earls took a corner kick with his favored left foot and dropped the ball on top of the six-yard box, where it found the head of Fekete in a crowded penalty area, and the defender was able to glance a header into the upper-left corner of the Rhinos goal for his second goal in as many games.
The Riverhounds took the lead in the 74th minute when 2013 USL PRO MVP and co-leading scorer Angulo received the ball with his back to goal in the Rhinos penalty area. Angulo played the ball wide to Joseph Ngwenya on the left flank, and he served the ball into the Rochester penalty area, and it went all the way through to 2013 First Team All-USL PRO midfielder Matthew Dallman on the right side of the Rhinos box. Dallman struck the ball first time, but Rochester rookie goalkeeper John McCarthy was there to parry the ball over the cross bar for a corner kick. On the ensuing corner kick Earls whipped a ball into a crowded penalty area, and Vincent was there to touch the ball into the back of the net.
Pittsburgh doubled its advantage in the 84th minute when Angulo sparked a counter-attack when he collected the ball 10 yards into the Rhinos' half of the field and played a through-ball to Ngwenya, who was in behind the Rhinos defense. Ngwenya surged down the left side of the Rhinos penalty area and got to the end line before he cut it back to Angulo, who had made a run to the top of the six-yard box. Angulo had the goal at his mercy and finished under McCarthy for what ultimately proved to be the game-winning goal.
The Rhinos got a goal back in the 90th minute when Rochester served a ball into the Riverhound's penalty area, and Rochester midfielder Tony Walls was knocked down by Earls. Referee Jeff Forward pointed to the penalty spot, and Banks converted into the lower-right corner of the goal from twelve yards away, but the Riverhounds would see out the four minutes of stoppage time to earn their first win of the season.
The Rhinos next home match will be on Tuesday, June 17th at 7:05 p.m. against D.C. United of Major League Soccer in the Fourth Round of the 2014 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup. Tickets for any match on the Rhinos home schedule will be available by by calling (585) 454-KICK (5425), by visiting the MVP Health Care Box Office at Sahlen's Stadium, or by visiting ticketmaster.com. Rochester Rhinos season tickets, flex packages and group ticket sales are also currently available.