PITTSBURGH (Sept. 11, 2021) — Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC earned its third straight home win and biggest win of the year, a 5-0 victory over Loudoun United FC at Highmark Stadium.
Kenardo Forbes had his first two-goal game of the season for the Hounds (14-6-5), and Todd Wharton, Russell Cicerone and Tommy Williamson each scored a goal of their own as the Hounds posted their highest scoring total of the year.
The win also gave the Hounds three victories out of four matches against Loudoun (3-17-2) this season, as they remain two points out of first place in the Atlantic Division.
First Half
The first 45 minutes yielded several good opportunities for the Hounds.
In the fourth minute, a shot off the left foot of Anthony Velarde bounced around in traffic, even bouncing off Loudoun goalkeeper Jonathan Mennell before being cleared away.
Loudoun had its best chance in the 14th minute after a Hounds turnover. Jeremy Garay intercepted a pass and ripped a shot form 25 yards away off the crossbar, but goalkeeper Danny Vitiello recovered to snuff out a crossing attempt by Ted Ku-Dipietro off the rebound.
The Hounds broke through in the 20th minute following a corner kick, as Todd Wharton put his second goal of the season in following a scramble for the ball in front of the net.
Right before the half, the Hounds nearly added to their lead, but Alex Dixon’s shot from eight yards out went just over the bar.
The Hounds outshot Loudoun, 7-2, and earned eight corner kicks in the opening frame.
Second Half
The floodgates opened for the Hounds in the second half.
Forbes netted his second goal of the season in the 58th minute off a setup from Cicerone, who popped a pass into the air for Forbes to strike home on the volley.
Cicerone tapped in a goal of his own in the 75th minute to give the Hounds a three-goal advantage, as the setup by Louis Pérez went through several Loudoun defenders and banked off one before falling to Cicerone. It was the team-leading 14th goal of the year for Cicerone, who remains second in the USL Championship for goals.
In the 80th minute, Ezra Armstrong blew past a Loudoun defender just outside the box before sending a pass to Williamson in the goal box. Williamson sent the ensuing shot into the bottom-right corner for his fifth of the season, while Armstrong got his first assist with the Hounds.
Forbes netted his second goal of the match and third of the year in the 82nd minute, a curling shot from the top of the box, off another excellent feed from Armstrong, who picked up a second assist.
Maybe the most impressive part about the Hounds’ offensive outburst was how efficient they were. They scored four goals on just five second-half shots, all of which were on target.
Hounds Man of the Match
Kenardo Forbes can earn the nod most nights, but tonight he provided the efficiency and the highlights. “King Kenny” notched two goals on a team-high three shots and also added two key passes, though he went without an assist. Tonight marked his first multi-goal performance since Sept. 29, 2019, when he also netted two goals in a 3-0 victory over Indy Eleven.
What’s next?
The Hounds travel to North Carolina to face the Charlotte Independence (10-8-4) for the final time during the regular season at 7 p.m. on Sept. 18. Charlotte also played tonight, allowing just one shot on target en route to a 2-0 victory at Hartford Athletic.
Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC lineup (5-3-2) — Danny Vitiello; Todd Wharton (Louis Perez 66’), Shane Wiedt, Jelani Peters, Mekeil Williams, Dani Rovira (Jordan Dover 79’); Danny Griffin, Kenardo Forbes; Alex Dixon (Tommy Williamson 79’), Russell Cicerone (Thomas Judge 86’), Anthony Velarde (Ezra Armstrong 66’)
Loudoun United FC lineup (4-4-1-1) — Jonathan Mennell; Timmy Mehl, Allexon Saravia (Tyler Gabarra 69’), Micael DeShields (Massimo Ferrin 59’), Robert Dambrot; Jeremy Garay, Michael Gamble (Darluis Paz 59’), Nicky Downs (Abdellatif Aboukoura 79’), Theodore Ku-Dipietro; Kimarni Smith; Giovanni Montesdeoca (Jovanny Bolívar 59’)
Scoring summary
PIT — Todd Wharton 20’
PIT — Kenardo Forbes 58’ (Russell Cicerone)
PIT — Russell Cicerone 75’
PIT — Tommy Williamson 80’ (Ezra Armstrong)
PIT — Kenardo Forbes 82’ (Ezra Armstrong)
Discipline summary
PIT — Louis Perez 90+2’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
