MONTCLAIR, N.J. (August 14, 2019) - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (11-3-8) defeated first-place New York Red Bulls II (14-5-5), 2-1, on Wednesday at MSU Soccer Park.

New York scored first with a goal from Tom Barlow in the 20th minute. The Hounds rallied with tallies from Joe Greenspan (36th minute) and Neco Brett (84th minute).

"I think the goal woke us up," head coach Bob Lilley said. "The last 15 minutes of the first half we were more positive. In the second half, we got more runners in front of the ball. When we went forward, we closed the field up.

"There were two good teams. It was a tight game. Fortunately, we got the winning goal in the second half. We did a good job closing the game once we got the lead as well."

First Half

The first shot of the match did not occur until the 20th minute, but it was then when New York took a 1-0 lead.

Following a missed clearance attempt, Vincent Bezecourt passed to Barlow, who stood just outside of the penalty box. The striker finished the play, blasting a shot into the bottom left-hand corner of the net.

Despite falling behind, the Hounds hung in and eventually cashed in during the 36th minute.

Kenardo Forbes sent a corner kick into the penalty area, which found the head of Greenspan in close to the goalmouth. This tally brought the score to 1-1 at the half.

Second Half

Like the first half, Red Bulls II had the best scoring opportunity to open the second-45 minutes.

Sprinting down the field in the 67th minute, Barlow placed a right-footed shot on target. However, goalkeeper Kyle Morton made an excellent diving kick save to keep the score even.

As the match drew closer to its final whistle, the Hounds found their game-winning goal.

In the 84th minute, Anthony Velarde hit Brett with a pass. From there, the striker made a move inside of the 18-yard box, broke free and placed a shot into the bottom left-hand corner to provide the Black and Gold with the 2-1 advantage and ultimately three points.

Hound of the Match

Neco Brett tallied the game-winning goal for the club in the final minutes and tied for the team lead with three shots.

Stat of the Game: 9

The Hounds held the high-powered New York offense to nine total shots. Red Bulls II averaged 18.65 total shots per match heading into the night.

What's Next

Riverhounds SC will stay on the road and battle North Carolina FC (11-5-7) at 7 p.m. on Saturday at WakeMed Soccer Park. The Hounds won their first meeting against North Carolina, 1-0, on July 20 at Highmark Stadium.

Lineups:

Riverhounds SC - Kyle Morton - Ryan James, Tobi Adewole, Thomas Vancaeyezeele, Joe Greenspan, Jordan Dover - Kenardo Forbes, Robbie Mertz (Anthony Velarde 68'), Kevin Kerr (Mouhamed Dabo 76') - Steevan Dos Santos (Christian Volesky 76'), Neco Brett

Subs not used: Austin Pack, Noah Franke, Sammy Kahsai, Uchenna Uzo

New York Red Bulls II - Evan Louro - Janos Loebe (John Tolkin 88'), Preston Kilwien, Sean Nealis, Kyle Duncan - Chris Lema, Jean-Christophe Koffi - Jared Stroud, Vincent Bezecourt (Ben Mines 83'), Omir Fernandez (Sebastian Elney 74') - Tom Barlow

Subs not used: Rashid Nuhu, Edgardo Rito, Jordan Scarlett, Allen Yanes

Scoring Summary:

NY - Tom Barlow 20' (Vincent Bezecourt)

PIT - Joe Greenspan 36' (Kenardo Forbes)

PIT - Neco Brett 84' (Anthony Velarde)

Misconduct Summary:

PIT - Robbie Mertz 58' (caution)

NY - Jean-Christophe Koffi 63' (caution)

NY - Sebastian Elney 90'+3 (caution)