LOUISVILLE, Ky. (July 12, 2020) – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (1-0-0) defeated Louisville City FC (1-1-0), 3-1, on Sunday in the first-ever game at Lynn Family Stadium.
Louisville got on the board first in the 18th minute, with a goal from Speedy Williams. Then, the Hounds would tie the game just before the half, with a goal from Jordan Dover. Robbie Mertz would score the Hounds’ second goal in the 46th minute, and Anthony Velarde added one more in the 51st minute. The win pushes the Hounds into first place in Group F, and marks the first time the Hounds have won their opening match (1-1-1) under head coach Bob Lilley.
“At halftime we were able to clean some stuff up,” Lilley said. “I think we started the second half really well with the attitude that we’re here to win the game and we’re going to make it hard. There were two great goals. We made the extra passes. Ropapa [Mensah] held on to the ball and found the right runners going forward in Robbie and Anthony. We knew if we could win the ball there is definitely space.
“We have things to work on this week to get better, but it was a gutsy performance and a collective performance. I thought we did an effective job managing the game once we got the two-goal lead. We didn’t give a ton of clear-cut chances and we made it hard for them. In the second half, I’m really proud of how they responded to get in front and bring home the three points.”
First Half
The Hounds piled on the pressure early, but couldn’t convert on a shot off the right foot of Mensah in the 5th minute. From there, Louisville started to pick up the pace. A shot attempt from the center of the penalty box by Louisville midfielder Brian Ownby was blocked in the 8th minute, and a header from Ownby veered left in the 12th minute.
After earning a corner kick in the 17th minute, the ball would work its way toward Williams, who put a shot from outside the 18-yard box into the bottom-left corner of the net, making the score 1-0.
From here, the Hounds would stiffen up on defense, allowing only two more shots in the first half.
Pittsburgh would continue on the attack in the 41st minute, but ultimately could not capitalize on two shots from inside the penalty area. Then, in the 45th minute, Kenardo Forbes sent a ball to Dover, who snuck in a right-footed shot into the bottom-right corner, putting the Hounds on the board.
Second Half
It didn’t take long for the Hounds to continue where they left off. In the 46th minute, Mensah hit Mertz in stride, who launched the ball into the bottom-right corner, giving the Hounds a 2-1 lead. Louisville came close to scoring another goal of its own in the 48th minute, but Williams’ shot went just over the crossbar.
The 51st minute brought with it a golden opportunity of the Hounds–Mensah stole a pass intended for Louisville goalkeeper Ben Lundt deep in Louisville territory. From there, he hit Velarde, who then uncorked a left-footed shot to the high center of the goal, making it 3-1 in favor of the Hounds.
When the dust settled, the Hounds had scored three goals in six minutes.
Over the next 40 minutes (plus 10 minutes of stoppage time), the Hounds played great defense, stepping in the way of passing lanes and limiting their fouls. In what could be considered “a tale of two halves,” the Hounds defeated Louisville, 3-1.
Hound of the Match, presented by EPIC
Ropapa Mensah assisted on both of Pittsburgh’s second-half goals, and added three shots (one on target) of his own.
Beyond the Box Score, presented by Beyond Self Storage
With the win, the Hounds have earned a point in each of their last 12 regular season matches, and in 18 of their last 20. Their last regular season loss was at the hands of North Carolina FC on Aug. 17, 2019.
What’s Next
Riverhounds SC will travel to battle Philadelphia Union II at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, July 18 at Subaru Park. The match will be televised on 22 The Point (WPNT).
Lineups:
Riverhounds SC – Tomas Gomez; Dani Rovira (Dakota Barnathan 63′), Hunter Ashworth (Danny Griffin 67′), Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Skylar Thomas, Jordan Dover; Ryan James, Kenardo Forbes, Robbie Mertz, Anthony Velarde (Lukas Fernandes 90’+5); Ropapa Mensah (Mark Forrest 67′)
Subs not used: Anthony Mwembia, Danny Vitiello, Xhelil Asani
Louisville City FC – Ben Lundt; Oscar Jimenez, Jimmy Ockford (Luke Spencer 55′), Alexis Souahy, Akil Watts; Corben Bone (Niall McCabe 64′), Paolo DelPiccolo (Napo Matsoso 55′), Speedy Williams; Brian Ownby (Jonathan Gomez 84′), Cameron Lancaster, Abdou Mbacke Thiam (Antoine Hoppenot 64′)
Subs not used: Chris Hubbard, Sean Totsch
Scoring Summary:
LOU – Speedy Williams 18′ (Corben Bone)
PIT – Jordan Dover 45′ (Kenardo Forbes)
PIT – Robbie Mertz 46′ (Ropapa Mensah)
PIT – Anthony Velarde 51′ (Ropapa Mensah)
Misconduct Summary:
PIT – Hunter Ashworth 27′ (caution)
PIT – Dakota Barnathan 90′ (caution)
