Ben Cole

2013 US Open Cup First Round: Not quite a high mark for Riverhounds who escape loss to RWB Adria in penalties

May 15, 2013 by Ben Cole

Highmark Stadium held its first Open Cup game on Tuesday and it did not hold back on the dramatics as the USL Pro’s Pittsburgh Riverhounds defeated amateur side RWB Adria 5-4 in penalty kicks after ending regulation tied at 1-1.

Riverhounds goalkeeper Greg Blum – who last faced a shootout in college at Slippery Rock University – was shaky, never making a stop. Matthew Dallman put Pittsburgh ahead and Kevin Kerr clinched the victory after Adria’s fourth shooter, Johnny Morris, hit the crossbar.

“The win doesn’t feel as good as I thought it was going to feel,” said Pittsburgh coach Justin Evans. “We still have a few things to look at.”

A group of 1,400 people saw Pittsburgh stay unbeaten through four matches this season, the last two being victories at home. The Riverhounds are currently 10th in the USL Pro table, with a 1-4-3 record. The Riverhounds move on to play the Ocean City Nor’easters in the second round on May 21.

Adria took an early lead, with a goal from Carlos Munoz as he slipped through the Riverhounds defense to catch them off guard and to go up 1-0 in the 17th minute. Despite the lead, Pittsburgh leaded in shots (5) and corners (4) at the break.

Pittsburgh found an equalizer in the second half.

Seth C’deBaca scored from the top of the 18-yard box on a play that started from a Rob Vincent corner in the 53rd minute. After a redirect and an assist from Mike Green, C’deBaca notched his first of the season.

“It’s something I’ve needed,” he said about the goal.

The rest of regulation was very back and forth as fatigue started to settle in for both sides. That led to a few injury stoppages and cautions from the referee. All the yellow cards came in the second half and beyond, with Adria totaling four and to Pittsburgh three, all of which were labeled as unnessecary behavior.

Extra time is where the Riverhounds almost took the victory. They registered five shots in the overtime periods, with three of them coming from forward Jose Angulo.

It was also some impressive goalkeeping from Adria’s Igor Dimov that kept the Chicago-based side in through the tail end of the game.

SHOTS: Pittsburgh: 17, RWB Adria: 4

SAVES: Pittsburgh: 2, RWB Adria: 6

CORNERS: Pittsburgh: 15, RWB Adria: 2

FOULS: Pittsburgh: 19, RWB Adria: 19

OFFSIDES: Pittsburgh: 3, RWB Adria: 6

2012 US Open Cup Round 2: Michigan Bucks’ last minute PK earns another upset over Pittsburgh Riverhounds

May 23, 2012 by Ben Cole

Grinwassavesthegame — Michigan Bucks GK Adam Grinwis makes a dramatic save in the 86th minute off a Pittsburgh Riverhounds corner kick. Photo: Pittsburgh Riverhounds

In 2006, the Michigan Bucks upset the Pittsburgh Riverhounds 2-0 to move on to the Third Round of the US Open Cup against an MLS side. This time, they repeated history, but it took until the final seconds of the game for the PDL side Bucks to win 1-0. Riverhounds defender Louie Rolko fouled Bucks forward Anthony Grant in the box to force a penalty. Defender Stew Givens shot under Hunter Gilstrap’s hands to break the deadlock.

web-Michigan-Pittsburg-2 — Photo: Pittsburgh Riverhounds

Michigan moves on into the Third Round where they will host the Chicago Fire of MLS on May 29 at Ultimate Soccer Arenas in Pontiac, Mich.

This was truly a game of two halves, and two goalies. The first half belonged to Michigan and the second to Pittsburgh, but the stars for both teams were the goalkeepers.

In the first half, the visiting Bucks came out strong with a 4-3-3 formation. The only things keeping them off the board were the strong defensive work of the Riverhounds’ Louie Rolko and Niko Katic, and some incredible saves by keeper Hunter Gilstrap. The ball hardly left the attacking third for the Bucks in the first half, with the exception of a few opportunities on the counterattack for the Hounds. The attacking combination of the Bucks’ Bim Ogunyemi and Steven Miller was dominant all half.

Stew Givens of the Michigan Bucks (@FlintCityBucks) converts a penalty kick in the 90th minute to give the Bucks a 1-0 road win over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds in the Second Round of the 2012 US Open Cup. Photo: Pittsburgh Riverhounds

At halftime, the teams went to the locker room scoreless. The Riverhounds came out of the locker room early and apparently recharged and ready. The Hounds were more dominant throughout the second half, despite halftime substitutions that shifted them to a more conservative 4-5-1 formation. Pittsburgh’s midfield had the majority of the chances in the second half, including a shot by Stefan Lundberg that rebounded off the crossbar late in the half. Impressive work by the Bucks’ keeper, Adam Grinwis, was the only thing keeping Pittsburgh from taking the lead.

Despite the offensive display in the second half, it was a defensive error that ended the US Open Cup hopes for Pittsburgh. With about 3 seconds before the clock struck 90 minutes, Hounds’ defender Louie Rolko took down forward Anthony Grant inside the Hounds’ box. The referee didn’t need time to contemplate before pointing to the penalty spot. Rolko got a yellow card and the Bucks were given a penalty kick.

Defender Stew Givens took the kick, putting a right-footed shot under Hunter Gilstrap in stoppage time to secure the victory for Michigan. The referee allowed a few minutes of stoppage time, but it wasn’t enough for the Riverhounds to equalize.

For the Bucks, it was the club’s eighth upset of a professional team, a Modern Era (1995-present) record for amateur clubs.