Hounds Thump Memphis in Season Opener
It couldn't have gone any smoother. The late ESPN legend Stuart Scott would have used "As cool as the other side of the pillow" to describe it. Riverhounds Owner Tuffy Shallenberger may have summed it up best with his customary "BOOM!" tweet.
Both are appropriate ways to describe the Riverhounds 3-0 victory on the road in Memphis, one which featured five first time pros making their debuts.
The first half had its fair share of drama. Chase Vosvick, starting his first professional match, stopped a penalty kick in the 30th minute and gave the visiting 'Hounds an emotional lift to start taking control of the match. It was aided several minutes later when Memphis centerback Graham Smith was shown his second yellow card of the opening half and hence, got his walking papers. The man advantage provided the break that Bob Lilley's charges needed to press forward and look to steal the points. They were rewarded on the stroke of half time when Alex Dixon found Dane Kelly, who outmuscled a defender to finish, giving the 'Hounds a 1-0 lead heading to the dressing room. The goal was Kelly's 100th of his storied USL career.
Memphis regrouped at the break and held serve with Pittsburgh until the 64th, when Kenardo Forbes swung in a cross that Kelly headed on to last year's leading scorer, Russell Cicerone, who smashed it into the net for a 2-0 lead. Albert Dikwa, who missed the second half of 2021 with an injury, got his 2022 season off to a fine start with a goal in the 76th to put it out of reach.
The Riverhounds will open their home slate next Saturday(March 19) vs Hartford Athletic at 7PM.
Man Of The Match: This one was a difficult choice as Dixon provided two assists and turned in a fantastic 85 minutes, but given the significance of his goal, TRB has selected Dane Kelly as MOTM. His class was apparent and he showed to fit in very well with Dixon and Cicerone in the attack.
MATCH RECAP
Scoring
PIT: Dane Kelly (Alex Dixon) 45+3’ PIT: Russell Cicerone (Dane Kelly) 64’ PIT: Albert Dikwa (Alex Dixon) 76’
Riverhounds SC: Chase Vosvick; Jelani Peters, Arturo Ordóñez, Shane Wiedt; Robby Dambrot (Nate Dossantos 68’), Marc Ybarra (Toby Sims 68’), Danny Griffin, Alex Dixon (Angelo Kelly 85’); Kenardo Forbes; Russell Cicerone (Mekeil Williams 85’), Dane Kelly (Albert Dikwa 68’)
Memphis 901 FC: Trey Muse; Jeremy Kelly, Niall Logue, Graham Smith, Rece Buckmaster; Chris Allan (Chris Allan 82’); Leston Paul (Mitchell Myers 77’); Derek Dodson (Simeon Betapudi 90’), Laurent Kissiedou, Devin Boyce; Phillip Goodrum (Patrick Seagrist 45’)
Three Rivers Broadcasting coverage of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds is presented in part by the Polish Falcons of America.