OTTAWA, Ontario (August 30, 2019) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (13-4-8) defeated Ottawa Fury FC (10-5-9), 4-0, on Friday at TD Place Stadium.
Steevan Dos Santos posted a first-half goal and Neco Brett recorded a brace in the first-45 minutes. Sammy Kahsai scored his first professional goal in the second half. Goalkeeper Kyle Morton posted his seventh clean sheet this season.
“I think we had a good game plan,” head coach Bob Lilley said. “We took some things we did well in the first game. We had a great team effort, and Ottawa’s still always on the verge of something. It was nice to get a couple goals and have a little bit of breathing room.
“I felt we showed a lot of discipline to stick with the game plan. I think it was a mature performance for us and came at a good time.”
First Half
A former Fury FC striker put an early dent into his old squad.
In the 2nd minute of the match, Dos Santos used an accurate shot to beat goalkeeper Callum Irving to the bottom left-hand corner from the center of the penalty box.
Just nine minutes later, Brett joined his fellow striker. As Brett assisted Dos Santos, the Cape Verde native returned the favor and passed to Brett, who also booted a shot into the bottom left-hand corner. With these tallies, the Hounds took an early 2-0 lead.
Before the halftime whistle, the duo made a curtain call. Fielding the ball from Dos Santos, Brett notched a brace with a goal from the right side of the six-yard box in the 34th minute.
Second Half
Ottawa fought to come back in the second half, but could not muster any luck against the Hounds’ defense.
Fury FC’s lone shot on target of the second stanza came in the 72nd minute, and was easily collected by Morton.
Pittsburgh would add one goal for good measure before the final whistle. In the 86th minute, Kahsai caught Irving off his line and booted in a long shot from nearly the halfway line to move the score to its final of 4-0.
Hound of the Match
Steevan Dos Santos scored a goal and added two assists, in addition to posting four shots and two takes on target.
Stat of the Game
Neco Brett joins Corey Hertzog as the only players in club history to notch at least 10 goals in back-to-back seasons.
What’s Next
Riverhounds SC returns home to battle two-time defending champion Louisville City FC (12-7-7) at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 7 at Highmark Stadium. This match will mark Back-to-School Night, and the first 1,000 fans will receive free thundersticks, courtesy of Image360.
Lineups:
Riverhounds SC – Kyle Morton – Ryan James, Tobi Adewole, Joe Greenspan, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Jordan Dover – Mouhamed Dabo (Sammy Kahsai 45′), Kevin Kerr, Kenardo Forbes – Steevan Dos Santos (Christian Volesky 73′), Neco Brett (Noah Franke 88′)
Subs not used: Austin Pack, Mark Forrest, Robbie Mertz, Anthony Velarde
Ottawa Fury FC – Callum Irving – Maxim Tissot, Dakota Barnathan (Thomas Meilleur-Giguère 45′), Chris Mannella, Carl Haworth (Jamar Dixon 74′) – Wal Fall, Charlie Ward, Jeremy Gagnon-Lapare – Hadji Barry, Kevin Oliveira (Aidan Daniels 83′), Christiano Francois
Subs not used: David Monslave, Onua Obasi, Cameron Shaw, Thiago
Scoring Summary:
PIT – Steevan Dos Santos 2′ (Neco Brett)
PIT – Neco Brett 11′ (Steevan Dos Santos)
PIT – Neco Brett 34′ (Steevan Dos Santos)
PIT – Sammy Kahsai 86′
Misconduct Summary:
PIT – Mouhamed Dabo 20′ (caution)
PIT – Sammy Kahsai 82′ (caution)
PIT – Joe Greenspan 84′ (caution)
