HARRISON, N.J. – Junior Flemmings scored an early goal and the New York Red Bulls II never looked back during their 1-0 victory against the Pittsburgh Riverhounds on Saturday at Red Bull Arena. While the match had its back-and-forth moments, the defenses only conjured up some sporadic saves during the one-goal affair. The Red Bulls II, who are second in the Eastern Conference standings behind Louisville City FC, extended their unbeaten streak to four games (3-0-1) and improved to 6-1-3 (21 points) overall. Pittsburgh fell to 1-5-3 (6 points) and 0-2-3 on the road.

Scoring:
8’ – NY – Junior Flemmings (Brandon Allen)

Three Things That Mattered:

• 1. New York’s Brandon Allen, who made his MLS debut earlier in the day during the Red Bulls’ 3-0 win against Toronto FC, was thrust into the starting lineup later in the night against Pittsburgh. It took him a matter of several minutes to get going for the USL side. Allen set up Junior Flemmings’ eighth-minute tally as Flemmings split the defense, then shot toward the far right post for the game’s opening goal and a 1-0 lead. Flemmings has three goals this season, tied for the team lead, in addition to his team-leading three assists.

• 2. Corey Hertzog created a number of opportunities for Pittsburgh on Saturday, with two big chances that went awry. In the ninth minute, his header hit the base of the left post as Hertzog found some space to quickly try and answer Flemmings’ tally. Then in the 46th minute, Hertzog found himself one-on-one against Red Bulls II goalkeeper Ryan Meara, who deflected the first shot away. Hertzog had one more opportunity on that sequence from the left of the box and Meara again made the stop as Pittsburgh anxiously tried to find an equalizer.

• 3. New Pittsburgh Head Coach Dave Brandt made his professional coaching debut. He recently spent seven seasons at Navy and was a four-time NSCAA Coach of the Year. Pittsburgh had one win in eight games before Brandt’s arrival.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:
Junior Flemmings, New York Red Bulls II - Flemmings' early score was enough to give NYRBII the needed lead as he has produced in the attack on a regular basis this year.

Upcoming Games:
June 4: Charleston Battery at Pittsburgh Riverhounds; 7 p.m. ET, Highmark Stadium
June 5: New York Red Bulls II at Bethlehem Steel FC; 4 p.m. ET, Goodman Stadium