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Riverhounds rally for victory over Memphis 901 FC

Jerin Steele
| Saturday, July 29, 2023 11:47 p.m.
Courtesy of Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
Members of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds huddle during their game against Memphis 901 FC on July 29, 2023, at Highmark Stadium.

Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said when a team is in a little bit of a hole, sometimes everything needs to go right before it turns.

The Hounds had quite a turn of events Saturday night.

On the back of a two-game losing streak the Hounds found themselves down a pair of goals to Memphis 901 FC in the first half, but put their collective feet down, and with the help of some goals from unlikely sources, stopped the negative momentum in its tracks.

Joe Farrell, Dani Rovira and JC Obregon Jr. each scored their first goal of the season, and the Hounds rallied for a 4-2 victory at Highmark Stadium.

“Our group mentally turned it around when everything lined up against them tonight,” Lilley said. “They were down two goals and they weren’t playing that bad. A lot of times when people hit a slide they are waiting for the next bounce, or the next call from the referee and we didn’t get any of those. Our will, our spirit and the crowd helped us claw back into that game.”

With the win the Hounds (11-4-8) remained atop the USL Championship Eastern Conference standings.

Saturday’s match started much like Wednesday’s loss to Indy.

Luiz Fernando and Rodrigo Da Costa scored to give Memphis (8-6-6) a 2-0 lead 34 minutes in.

But unlike Wednesday, the Hounds were able to get a big goal before halftime to give them momentum before the break.

The goal came out of mass chaos in front of goal following a corner kick. After several attempts to get the ball over the line were unsuccessful, it came to Farrell and he got it into the net. It was a milestone moment for the franchise, the 1,000th goal in club history.

Farrell, who is from Blue Bell, had a large group of family in the stands, adding to the special moment of getting his first goal with the Hounds.

“It’s amazing,” Farrell said. “It’s a storied franchise that’s been around for a long time and so many great players have walked on this pitch and worn our colors. To get one small goal that just happened to be the 1,000th is truly amazing. I feel honored and blessed.

“What was great about it was not only was it the 1,000th goal in Riverhounds history, but it was in front of 30 of my family members.”

Rovira had been looking for his first goal for five years and got it in grand style two minutes after halftime to tie it. Kenardo Forbes gave him a strong cross from the left side and Rovira hit a pure strike that went in off the bottom of the crossbar. It was Forbes’ 50th assist as a member of the Hounds.

“It’s definitely a special moment for me and my family,” Rovira said. “They’re in Colombia and I’m sure they are celebrating. All I want to do every time I step out there is help the team win whether it’s with an assist or a tackle. Tonight it was with a goal.”

Seven minutes later Obregon gave the Hounds the lead. His first shot attempt was stopped, but he beat Memphis keeper Drew Romig to the rebound.

Tola Showunmi added an insurance goal in the 61st minute, and the Hounds didn’t let Memphis threaten the rest of the way.

It was an encouraging night for Farrell and his teammates and they’ll have another big match next Saturday when the Hounds host the Tampa Bay Rowdies.

“We had a meeting on Thursday and we talked about being resilient in those moments,” Farrell said. “Having courage rather than putting your head down and conceding another one. We talked about responding in those moments and I think we responded great.”


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