PITTSBURGH (July 20, 2019) Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (7-3-8) defeated North Carolina FC (9-4-7), 1-0, this past Saturday night at Highmark Stadium.

Robbie Mertz’s strike in the 27th minute was the defining point in the match, extending the Riverhounds home record to 5-0-5 this season.

First Half

The Hounds created an early scoring chance in the 8th minute. Thomas Vancaeyezeele played a ball into the penalty area, finding Steevan Dos Santos in the goalmouth. Dos Santos fired on target but was denied by North Carolina’s goalkeeper Alex Tambakis.

Dos Santos nearly struck again in the 25th minute. Mertz lofted a ball to the center of the 18-yard box and connected with the head of the striker, who sent the opportunity just wide.

Just two minutes later, a left-footed shot from Mertz put his club on the scoreboard. Neco Brett managed to fight off a North Carolina defender before hitting Mertz on a run. The Pittsburgh native fielded the pass, then buried the chance into the back of the net to give the Black and Gold a 1-0 advantage. 

Kenardo Forbes later set up a scoring chance in the 44th minute when he found Brett charging towards the goal. Brett played the pass from his teammate and ripped a long shot left of the net.

A header from Kevin Kerr in stoppage time nearly put the Hounds on the board again, but the midfielder placed the attempt just over the cage.

North Carolina finished the opening period without a shot on target but did fire four shots in total. On the opposite side of the field, the Hounds rattled off eight shots, two of which were on target.

Second Half

Both Pittsburgh and North Carolina came out in the second half looking to create offensive chances. Shots littered the box, but nothing was able to stick for either team.

North Carolina midfielder Ben Speas started the attack early for the visitors with a strike from outside the penalty box in the 47th minute but was collected easily by the Riverhounds’ goalkeeper Kyle Morton. Additional shots from Robbie Kristo and Speas within a five-minute stretch scurried wide of the net, extinguishing prime scoring opportunities for North Carolina.

The Hounds responded with fantastic chances of their own in the second but faced continual barriers from Tambakis.

Brett’s shot from the inside of the penalty box in the 55th minute was the first chance for the Hounds in the second half. A spectacular save from Tambakis in the 58th minute kept Pittsburgh’s Dos Santos off the scoreboard, keeping the score stagnant at 1-0. Mertz kept his offensive attack for Pittsburgh going into the 62nd minute, with a shot missing just wide over the net.

Opportunities for both teams continued throughout the second-45 minutes, as the Hounds and North Carolina collected numerous chances. Pittsburgh and North Carolina collected eight and nine total shots respectively in the half.

The Riverhounds' best opportunity in the second half was from a penalty kick in the 88th minute. Forbes’ penalty kick opportunity was stopped by a diving Tambakis, who pushed the ball wide right of the net, keeping the Riverhounds from extending their lead.

The Riverhounds sustained their slim margin for the rest of the match, collecting their seventh victory this season.

Hound of the Match

Robbie Mertz’s lone goal in the match propelled the Riverhounds to a much-needed victory against a playoff opponent in North Carolina. This marks Mertz’s fifth goal of the season and now places him tied for the top spot in tallies for the Riverhounds.

Stat of the Game: 4

This marks the fourth match this season Kyle Morton has collected a clean sheet in net for the Riverhounds. 

What’s Next:

Riverhounds SC heads north to take on Hartford Athletic (3-14-4) at 5 p.m next Saturday at Dillon Stadium. Fans can catch all of the action on Pittsburgh’s CW. 

Lineups:

Riverhounds SC - Kyle Morton - Ryan James, Tobi Adewole, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Joe Greenspan, Jordan Dover - Kenardo Forbes - Robbie Mertz, Steevan Dos Santos, Kevin Kerr (Sammy Kahsai 63') - Neco Brett (Christian Volesky 63')

Subs not used: Austin Pack, Mouhamed Dabo, Noah Franke, Uchenna Uzo, Anthony Velarde

North Carolina FC - Alex Tambakis - Aaron Guillen, Sam Brotherton, Viktor Igbekoyi - Steven Miller, Nazmi Albadawi, Graham Smith (Duval Wapiwo 90'+1), D.J. Taylor - Ben Speas, Robert Kristo (Ulrich Ewolo 62'), Andre Fortune (Yamikani Chester 62')

Subs not used: Darrin MacLeod, Timmy Mehl, Austin Panchot

Scoring Summary:

PIT - Robbie Mertz 27' (Neco Brett)

Misconduct Summary:

PIT - Steevan Dos Santos 75' (caution)

Head coach Bob Lilley

On playing another match lightning delay match…

“It served us well tonight, I don’t know if we get to the end line without a break. We weren’t organized, they were playing through us pretty easily for a good portion of the second half. They brought their subs on and they played us up top. I knew they would when I saw the starting lineup, but obviously, it helped to get into the locker room and communicate clear instructions.”

On pretty good organization and pressure in the first half…

“As hot as it was, it was not easy that’s probably why we were out of gas. It was a lot of work on the part of Robbie and Kevin. I think they did a pretty good job of it and even Steevan was bumping up. We knew if they would just sit there, they would pass the ball. They are one of the highest passing percentage teams in the league and they stretch the field. We knew as hot as it is we may do more running sitting back. So the only way to get the ball away from them was to be brave and get in their face and it is not that easy when it is that hot.”

On being able to scrape out a victory against North Carolina…

“We needed to win it. We were generous and we’ve paid a lot when we have been that generous. I think the Bethlehem game we closed a little bit better, I think Tampa we closed that came out really well and just gave up that one chance. I think we managed the game much better against Tampa last week than we did tonight. It is just back to the drawing board.”

Midfielder Robbie Mertz

On his goal...

"To be honest, I'm going to have to check the replay. I don't remember the buildup. I do remember seeing Neco [Brett] just kind of post up one on one. I thought he did a great job holding it up for us all night and competing up there. In that instance, the ball fell to him nicely, I just saw an opening through the backline and he laid it off very well. From there it was just putting it on target, and thankfully I did that with my left foot."

Mertz on drawing hard contact in the first half...

"It was pretty painful but it also just kind of gave us a chance to regroup there in the middle of the half, which is nice. That sort of thing is something that gets you into the game, gets the juices flowing if they aren't already. So, coming back in and just trying to continue to create off the ball and that's what lead to the goal."

Mertz on his goal celebration...

"It was just pure excitement. I didn't really know what else to do. It was just a really good moment to get a goal. I think against a tough team like North Carolina, just to get ahead is super important. Goals change games so I think that was where that excitement came from."

Midfielder Thomas Vancaeyezeele 

On differences between the first and second half...

"I feel like we were more aggressive during the first half. Maybe second half we tried to sit a little bit deeper and it didn't work out because they're good at keeping the ball, playing through the teams. I think the storm break was a good one because we could adjust, and when we came back from the break we were stronger."

On the heat..

"It was hard, especially first half. Physically we are running a lot and it like killed us a little bit."

On potential concerns when dealing with extreme heat and a storm delay...

"We just try to stay loose and we had five minutes to warm up after that and we drank a lot of water. Then we were ready to go again. That's easier when you have the lead and you just have to be strong mentally. We kept the shutout, and we're still undefeated at home. So that's good for us."