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Pittsburgh, Richmond Exchange Second Half Tallies

By USLSoccer.com Staff, 08/05/17, 9:01PM EDT

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Okai's late strike equalizes for Riverhounds at home


Photo courtesy Jessica Hendricks / Pittsburgh Riverhounds

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Stephen Okai found an equalizer for the Riverhounds late to match a strike from Raul Gonzalez as Pittsburgh and the Kickers finish level. Richmond was aggressive early with a corner kick opportunity in the 16th minute. Sunny Jane sent in a ball for Oscar Umar, but his header was just wide of the near post. Pittsburgh came back 11 minutes late with a well-placed pass from Kevin Kerr that found Corey Hertzog, but his touch was redirected high of the net. Late in the first half, Richmond’s Raul Gonzalez launched a powerful strike to the side of the net but his attempt was saved cleanly by a diving Trey Mitchell. In the 52nd minute, Richmond earned a free kick just outside the box, but Sunny Jane’s lofted try was caught easily by Pittsburgh keeper Trey Mitchell. Cheavughn Walsh had a close-range header attempt off a beautiful cross from Kevin Kerr which was thwarted by Richmond keeper Matt Turner.  Yudai Imura set up the opening tally of the game with a run into the attacking third and a quick dump off to Raul Gonzalez, whose right-footed curler found its way over Mitchell and into the back corner of the net. Sub Romeo Parkes sent in a cheeky pass on a free kick at 79’ that found Corey Hertzog, who was unfortunately offsides in the box. After being on the attack throughout the second half, Stephen Okai found the equalizer in the 82nd minute. Despite Richmond playing defensively, the Riverhounds midfielder carved out space in the penalty area where he was found by Victor Souto and Okai got a fierce strike into the back of the net. The Kickers are now 3-11-8 on the season while Pittsburgh moves to 5-8-9.

Scoring:
65’ – RIC – Raul Gonzalez (Yudai Imura)
82’ – PGH – Stephen Okai (Victor Souto)

#PGHvRIC: Full Match and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

  • 1. Both squads came into this matchup struggling as of late. Richmond had one win the last fifteen matches while Pittsburgh hadn’t won since an impressive victory against the Rowdies on June 22nd. These runs as of late are due to limited offense from both clubs, as the Riverhounds and the Kickers rank 24th and 27th in the league in goals scored. Richmond played defensively after grabbing the lead in the first half, but Victor Souto lead the Pittsburgh attack by creating opportunities to score for the Riverhounds.
     
  • 2. Before this contest, Richmond had played four games in the last ten days which challenged their stamina. The Kickers had a week of rest heading into this road matchup, which showed on the field in the first half as they held 52% of the possession in the opening 45 minutes. The club also seemed more under control compared to the Riverhounds. This game was similar to the Kicker’s last few games as the club lost the possession battle heavily in the second half but capitalized on the few opportunities to find a score and earn a draw on the road.
     
  • Going into this matchup Pittsburgh was 1-5-2 against the Kickers all-time including 0-2-1 at Highmark Stadium. It looked for a long time that Richmond would steal another three points against the Kickers, but Pittsburgh was able to battle back late. It was important for the Riverhounds to earn a point, but the club remains without a win at home against the Richmond.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Victor Souto, Pittsburgh Riverhounds – The Pittsburgh midfielder came in as a sub in the 68th minute, ignited multiple attacking opportunities and made a beautiful pass to pull the game even.

Upcoming Games:
Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Harrisburg City Islanders – August 12, 7:00 p.m. ET, FNB Field
Richmond Kickers vs. Orlando City B – August 12, 7:00 p.m. ET, City Stadium

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