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Riverhounds SC, Penn FC Settle for Scoreless Draw

By COLTON CORESCHI - colton.coreschi@uslsoccer.com, 03/31/18, 9:00PM EDT

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Teams split points in season's first edition of Keystone Derby Cup


Photo courtesy Delaney Hoolahan/Pittsburgh Riverhounds

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – The first edition of the 2018 Keystone Derby Cup ended in a stalemate on Saturday night, as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC and Penn FC ended up splitting the points at Highmark Stadium in a 0-0 draw. The first opportunity of the match came as Romeo Parkes burst in behind the Penn FC defensive line to have a chance all alone against goalkeeper Romuald Peiser, but pulled his effort wide to the left. Parkes would miss another opportunity shortly thereafter, blasting a well-placed cross from Christiano Francois well over the bar from just yards out with an open net in front of him. The opportunities would continue to come Riverhounds SC's way, as Joseph Holland ended up on the end of a breakaway chance. After his initial shot was blocked, Holland ripped a follow-up towards the upper-left corner, but his effort was parried away by Peiser to keep the match scoreless. Despite some hard, chippy play on both sides, the match would enter halftime with zeroes still on the board. Riverhounds SC picked up the second half where the first left off, as Francois would run onto the end of a pass over the top of the defense, but blasted his effort straight at the waiting Peiser. Penn FC would finally get a decent opportunity a few minutes later, as Tom Heinemann had an effort at goal saved fairly simply by Dan Lynd in goal. Peiser would come up big again in the late stages of the match, saving a half-volleyed effort from Ben Zemanski with a diving effort to his right to keep things knotted at zero. Despite some late pushes from Riverhounds SC, the match would end with zeroes still on the board and the teams each moving on with a single point.

Scoring
None

Three Things That Matter:

  • 1. While it didn't ultimately result in goals, Riverhounds SC's tactic of playing the long ball over the top to their speedy set of forwards did produce some decent chances for the hosts. Parkes and Francois had numerous opportunities in front of goal, but couldn't find the target or get past Peiser in goal, making it two straight without a goal for Riverhounds SC to open their 2018 campaign.

  • 2. While some of the responsibility for keeping Riverhounds SC off the board falls to their own forwards, Peiser was solid in goal for Penn FC. In the moments he was called into action, he made the necessary saves to keep the largely dominant hosts off the scoreboard, racking up three saves in the process.

  • 3. While the teams split the points on Saturday night, neither will be particularly happy to depart the match still seeking their first respective wins of the season. Riverhounds SC in particular was seemingly deserving of a goal or two given the run of play, so Penn FC will be more satisfied to have stolen a valuable road point in the first edition of this season's Keystone Derby Cup.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:

Romauld Peiser, Penn FC – While Riverhounds SC had the better of the match, Penn FC likely doesn't escape with a point without some heroics from Peiser in goal, as the goalkeeper made multiple key saves.

Upcoming Games:
Pittsburgh Riverhounds
 at Toronto FC II – April 7, 2 p.m. ET, BMO Field
Penn FC at Atlanta United 2  – April 8, 4 p.m. ET, Coolray Stadium

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