The Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC continued play in the Prinx Tires USL Cup tournament on May 15 against the Charlotte Independence in North Carolina. The Group Stage matchup resulted in a 1-1 draw with the Independence winning the shoot-out 4-2.
Charlotte struck first at the 22-minute mark when Enzo Martinez took a shot from the top of the box, which hit his teammate, Christy Manzinga. The ball laid at Manzinga’s feet allowing him to tap home the goal past Hounds’ rookie goalkeeper, Mitch Budler, for a 1-0 Independence lead. Budler, who played well early, was making his first appearance of the season.
At the 81-minute mark, Pittsburgh’s Albert Dikwa, who didn’t enter the game until 20 minutes earlier, slid a long pass across the Charlotte goal mouth that found Jorge Garcia around the back post. Garcia’s shot beat goalkeeper Matt Levy to tie the score at 1-1. Neither team was able to break the tie in regulation, and the match ended in a draw with each team receiving one point.
In the shoot-out phase, the Independence went 4-4 against Budler, while the Riverhounds netted goals by Dikwa and Sam Bassett. Levy was able to make saves against Charles Ahl and Robbie Mertz to give the extra point to the Independence.
Both teams are now 1-0-1 in Group F of the USL Cup standings. The Independence are in second place, and the Hounds are in third place after two games. The Riverhounds have two games remaining in the Group Stage of the tournament with games against the Charleston Battery and Louden United FC.
The Riverhounds do not play again until Saturday, May 30, when they meet Miami FC in a regular season USL match at F.N.B. Stadium.
Be First to Comment