Riverhounds battle Sacramento to scoreless tie, host Charleston Saturday
Old rivals take to the pitch when the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC host the Charleston Battery at 7 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 15, at F.N.B. Stadium.
The Eastern Conference match will be pivotal for the Hounds as they look to gain ground on the second-place Battery (10-6-3). The fifth-place Riverhounds are 8-8-3, and a victory would put them within three points of Charleston in the standings.
Colton Swan leads the Battery with seven goals, while Emilio Ycaza and Maalique Foster have added six each. Charleston defeated the Riverhounds 2-1 on March 7, and the teams played a 0-0 draw on June 6 during the USL Cup with both matches being played in South Carolina.
The Riverhounds are coming off a 0-0 draw against the Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, Aug. 8, in front of another sellout crowd at F.N.B. Stadium.
The story of the match was the play of the goalkeepers -- Nico Campuzano for Pittsburgh and former Riverhound Danny Vitiello for Sacramento. Vitiello is the all-time USL leader in clean sheets, and his efforts resulted in yet another mark in that category and his 50th for the Republic. Campuzano, not to be outdone, recorded his second straight clean sheet and sixth of the season, with both goalkeepers making four stops.
The first half contained most of the offensive opportunities as the Republic’s Mayele Malongo had a few good chances, while Pittsburgh’s Albert Dikwa and Trevor Amann both pressured the net without success.
The second half was even more defensive minded as both teams dug in, resulting in fewer opportunities. Sacramento’s Memo Rodriguez and Jared Timmer failed on their best chances, while Dikwa and Yu Tsukanome couldn’t capitalize on opportunities for the Riverhounds.
Sacramento won possession 56% to 44% and outshot the Hounds 14-7. Sacramento is now 7-5-6 and in sixth place in the Western Conference.
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