PITTSBURGH – Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC got a late winner by Kenardo Forbes to advance past Indy Eleven and into the Fourth Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 1-0 victory at Highmark Stadium on Wednesday night.

After a 40-minute weather delay, Indy had the first big chance of the night four minutes before halftime when Thomas Enevoldsen found space just outside the penalty area and fired a shot toward the top-left corner that Hounds goalkeeper Kyle Morton did well to keep out. Enevoldsen again went close six minutes into the second half as Morton had to go at full stretch to keep out his long-range effort before Tyler Pasher sent the rebound into the side-netting from a tight angle on the left.

With five minutes to go, however, Pittsburgh broke the deadlock as Forbes walked into space 30 yards from goal and rifled a low shot into the bottom-left corner of the net that Indy goalkeeper Jordan Farr couldn’t keep out.

Enevoldsen had one last chance to equalize for the Eleven with two minutes to go as he got in behind the defense into the left side of the penalty area on a good pass by Tyler Gibson only to shoot wide of the right post, while Kenney Walker also had a low shot saved by Morton in the final minute. That would be all for the visitors, though, as the Hounds moved into the Fourth Round for the first time since the 2015 season. 

NEW MEXICO UNITED 2, COLORADO SPRINGS SWITCHBACKS FC 1: New Mexico United rallied late before taking victory in extra time against the Switchbacks at Weidner Field as Chris Wehan and Kevaughn Frater found the net for the visitors. After a scoreless first half, Jordan Burt gave Colorado Springs the lead with a low shot from 20 yards that picked out the bottom-right corner. New Mexico pressed for an equalizer over the final half-hour and finally found an equalizer with three minutes to go when Wehan arrived late in the penalty area and was picked out by a cross from Frater that he sent to the right corner of the net as the teams ended regulation even. The Switchbacks were then reduced to 10 men three minutes into extra time as Rony Argueta was sent off after teammate Jordan Schweitzer had brought down NMU’s Daniel Bruce in the penalty area. Frater stepped up and converted from the spot with a shot to the top-left corner, and that proved enough to send New Mexico in the Fourth Round.

CHARLESTON BATTERY 1 (3), NASHVILLE SC 1 (0): The Battery converted three times in a penalty shootout, while Nashville missed its first three attempts, to send Charleston into the Fourth Round of the Open Cup for a third consecutive season at Dean A. Hayes Stadium. The Battery took the lead in the 24th minute as Nicque Daley made a surging run from midfield to get past his marker before curling a finish into the top-right corner of the net. Nashville answered with 18 minutes to go when Kharlton Belmar got onto the end of a low cross by Ropapa Mensah and finished into the left corner, but the Battery almost stole victory with the final chance of regulation as a curling effort by Zeiko Lewis came back off the crossbar.

After the teams remained scoreless through 30 minutes of extra time, the Battery’s Lewis opened the first round of the shootout with a goal before Charleston goalkeeper Phil Breno saved from NSC’s Liam Doyle on a shot to the right side. Breno produced another save in the second round from Matt LaGrassa before Jarad van Schaik shot high for the Battery to open the third round, but after NSC’s Lebo Moloto hit the crossbar with Nashville’s third-round effort it opened the door for Ian Svantesson to clinch the victory, and the forward shot low to the left corner to send the Battery through.

SAINT LOUIS FC 3, FORWARD MADISON FC 1: Saint Louis FC scored twice in the opening 10 minutes to pave the way to victory against USL League One’s Forward Madison FC at World Wide Technology Soccer Park. STLFC took the lead in just the second minute as Paris Gee intercepted an attempted clearance just outside the penalty area, cut into the box and fired a low shot into the bottom-left corner of the net. Four minutes later the hosts doubled their advantage as Guy Abend tucked home a finish from close range after the Flamingos were unable to clear a low cross into the six-yard area. Madison cut into the lead seven minutes before halftime when Don Smart was played in behind the STLFC defense by Jeff Michaud and lashed home a finish to the top-right corner, but Saint Louis restored its two-goal advantage with 18 minutes to go as Russell Cicerone headed home a corner kick from the right by Lewis Hilton and saw the game out from there to move into the Fourth Round.

MEMPHIS 901 FC 4, HARTFORD ATHLETIC 0: Jochen Graf scored a pair of goals as 901 FC swept to victory against its fellow Championship side at the Mike Rose Soccer Complex. Memphis took the lead from the penalty spot in the sixth minute as Marc Burch fired home after Elliot Collier had been brought down in the area, and 15 minutes later Jochen Graf scored his first goal in 901 FC’s colors as he snapped home a first-time shot after a free kick was knocked down in the center of the penalty area. Hartford almost pulled a goal back on the half-hour mark, but Jonathan Brown’s shot was cleared off the goal line by 901 FC midfielder Cam Lindley on the goal line. Graf notched his second of the night just before the hour-mark as he tapped home a low cross by Collier, and in the 62nd minute Hartford was reduced to 10 men when Sem de Wit was sent off for his second yellow card of the night. 901 FC then wrapped up a place in the Fourth Round with seven minutes to go as Morgan Hackworth scored on a close-range rebound to close out the scoring.

NORTH CAROLINA FC 1, FLORIDA SOCCER SOLDIERS 0: North Carolina FC advanced to the Fourth Round of the 2019 Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup with a 1-0 victory against the Florida Soccer Soldiers on Wednesday night at WakeMed Soccer Park. North Carolina took the lead two minutes into the second half, however, when D.J. Taylor cut inside from the right side and fired a low shot that picked out the right corner from the top of the penalty area. Taylor almost set up a second for the hosts as his chipped cross for Yamikani Chester was volleyed on target but turned aside by FSS goalkeeper Martin Gammeiro. Donovan Ewolo also hit the right post late on for the hosts, but Taylor’s goal proved enough to bring an end to the Soccer Soldiers’ run in the tournament. 

ORANGE COUNTY FC 5, LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC 3: Orange County scored twice late after Las Vegas had rallied back from a two-goal deficit to level the score with five minutes to go at Cashman Field to earn the place as the last amateur team standing in the Open Cup this year. In a wide-open contest OCFC took a two-goal lead inside the opening 20 minutes as first Cody Shelton put the visitors on the board before an own goal by Lights FC defender Mobi Fehr. Las Vegas pulled a goal back from the penalty spot through Santiago Echeverria, but before halftime Orange County had added a third when Dakota Collins shot into the left side of the net from the left side of the penalty area.

Lights FC quickly pulled a goal back in the 47th minute through Edwin Rivas, but the hosts were then reduced to 10 men when Christian Torres was sent off. That didn’t stop Las Vegas from finding an equalizer in the 85th minute, however, as Jose Villarreal marked his debut for the club with the assist on Junior Sandoval’s headed finish from a set piece, but as quickly as Las Vegas seemed to have sent the game to extra time, OCFC ensured its passage to the Fourth Round as Blake Frischknecht and Oscar Flores stayed cool when chances fell to them to send their side into the next round.