In a match marked by early goals, Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC emerged with a narrow 2-1 victory over Hartford Athletic on Saturday night at Trinity Health Stadium.
Pittsburgh wasted no time asserting themselves, opening the scoring in just the 3rd minute. Charles Ahl capitalized on a deflected cross from Luke Biasi, coolly slotting home from close range to give the Riverhounds an early start.
Hartford responded swiftly. Just eight minutes later, defender Adrián Diz Pe rose unmarked to meet a corner kick from Emmanuel Samadia, directing a powerful header into the top-left corner to level the match.
For much of the game, the teams played a tense, evenly matched contest. Hartford enjoyed stretches of pressure, while Pittsburgh remained dangerous on the counter. Goalkeepers on both sides were called into action as the teams traded half-chances and physical challenges.
The breakthrough came in the 89th minute, when substitute Chase Boone delivered for the Riverhounds. Latching onto a loose ball in the box, Boone fired a clinical strike past Hartford’s keeper to make it 2-1.
Unfortunately, due to an on field verbal exchange between a Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Hartford Athletic player, Hartford Athletic did not feel comfortable proceeding with the match this evening. The club has requested the league to conduct an investigation regarding the use of racially offensive language by a Pittsburgh player.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | PITTSBURGH | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 15 | 9 |
| Shots On Target | 4 | 6 |
| Corners | 7 | 2 |
| Fouls | 12 | 11 |
| Offsides | 1 | 4 |
| Possession | 52.7% | 47.3% |
| Passing Accuracy | 73.9% | 75.8% |
| Saves | 2 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | PITTSBURGH |
|---|---|
| 11′ – Adrian Diz Pe (Emmanuel Samadia) | 3′ – Charles Ahl |
| 89′ – Chase Boone |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | PITTSBURGH |
|---|---|
| 58′ – Sebastian Anderson (Yellow) | |
| 60′ – Adrian Diz Pe (Yellow) | |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | PITTSBURGH |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha (John Berner, 45′) | 1 (GK) Eric Dick |
| 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett (C) | 2 (MF) Daniel Griffin |
| 15 (DF) Joe Farrell | 5 (DF) Sean Suber |
| 30 (DF) Adrián Diz Pe | 8 (MF) Brunallergene Junior Etou (Illal Osumanu, 69′) |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 9 (FW) Augustine Williams (Brigham Larsen, 82′) |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston | 12 (FW) Charles Ahl (Chase Boone, 69′) |
| 10 (MF) Samuel Careaga (Jack Panayotou, 63′) | 13 (MF) Luke Biasi |
| 8 (MF) Junior Moreira (Adewale Obalola, 63′) | 14 (FW) Chalres Mertz (Jason Bouregy, 81′) |
| 19 (MF) Emmanuel Samadia | 15 (MF) Bradley Sample (Bertin Jacquesson, 88′) |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina | 16 (DF) Roberto Ydrach |
| 71 (FW) Kyle Edwards | 23 (DF) Guillaume Vacter |
