Photo courtesy Gracey Evans / Pittsburgh Riverhounds
PITTSBURGH – A late equalizer from Corey Hertzog helped the Pittsburgh Riverhounds earn a 1-1 draw against Ottaw Fury FC in what was the season finale for both squads at Highmark Stadium on Saturday. The opening strike came in the ninth minute when a free kick off the foot of Carl Haworth came in from the right wing and made its way through traffic to find Nicholas DePuy, who redirected it past Pittsburgh keeper Matthew Perrella for his second goal of the campaign – both of which came in the final five matches. Fury FC played from in front for over an hour before Eddie Edward and Kay Banjo came together near the edge of the box in the 76th minute. Riverhounds star Hertzog stepped up and buried the ensuing penalty to record his 14th tally of the season and put the two sides on level terms. Neither side was able to break the deadlock prior to the final whistle as Pittsburgh finished with a 8-12-12 mark overall (36pts) while Ottawa closed the year at 8-10-14 (38pts).
Scoring:
9’ – OTT – Nicholas DePuy (Carl Haworth)
77’ – PGH – Corey Hertzog (penalty)
Three Things That Matter:
USLSoccer.com Man of the Match
Matthew Perrella, Pittsburgh Riverhounds – The reigning USL Save of the Week winner bounced back from conceding early to stop the last six shots he faced, keeping Pittsburgh within one goal and allowing Hertzog the opportunity to even the score