Hounds Fall To Cincinnati 1-0
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- The shorthanded Pittsburgh Riverhounds fell to FC Cincinnati 1-0 Saturday night at Highmark Stadium for the team's first loss of the 2017 season.
Pittsburgh played the second half of the game with 10 men when defender Gale Agbossoumonde was sent off in the first half after being shown his second yellow card of the match.
Pittsburgh enjoyed the majority of the early scoring chances and was the closest to scoring first when the Hounds were awarded an indirect free kick inside Cincinnati's penalty area.
The rare indirect free kick from that close to the goal stemmed from Cincinnati's goalkeeper Mitch Hillebrandt picking up a ball that was kicked back to him from his own teammate. Corey Hertzog stepped up and took the free kick for the Hounds, though there was not much room to shoot and the Cincinnati defensive wall was able to block the shot and keep the game scoreless.
Hertzog and the Hounds had other chances to get the first goal but could not convert and the game's momentum starting to swing Cincinnati's way.
In the 32nd minute, Hounds defender Gale Agbossoumonde was shown a yellow card for a collision with Cincinnati defender Austin Berry, and just minutes later, Gale was sent off for the night when he received his second yellow card, resulting in a red card and expulsion from the match.
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Pittsburgh could not hold off Cincinnati in the second half despite long spells of possession and some good scoring chances, FC Cincinnati though took the lead in the 55th minute through Senegalese striker Djiby Fall.
Djiby put himself on the end of a cross and headed the ball down in to the ground, bouncing it over Hounds keeper Trey Mitchell, nestling nicely in to the Pittsburgh net.
That would be the only offense Cincy would need as the match would end 1-0 to FC the visitors, continuing their unbeaten run over the Hounds since joining the USL last season.
The Hounds look to get their first win of the season when they travel to Charleston, SC to face the Battery, a long time USL opponent at 7 p.m. this Saturday.