Riverhounds work to draw with Tampa Bay, stay tied for 1st

When the Pittsburgh Riverhounds and Tampa Bay Rowdies met Wednesday at Highmark Stadium, each played like a defensively sound team expected to be at the top of the standings.

Neither relinquished the top spot, and they played to a 0-0 draw.

The Riverhounds and Rowdies remained tied for first in the USL’s Atlantic Division standings with 44 points each. The draw halted a two-game losing streak for the Riverhounds. A Bob Lilley coached Riverhounds team never has lost three consecutive matches.

“We were good on the back end tonight,” Lilley said. “There were a few loose moments, but they are an explosive team. We had good execution for the most part. We held the ball a lot, and we knew we needed to. They were fresh. They didn’t play over the weekend like we did. It’s tough.

“We came in here banged up some, and some of our guys are playing their fourth game in a short window. We wanted to win. We never want to draw at home, but realistically this week I wanted four points. Now we have to go get a win against Atlanta on Sunday.”

The Riverhounds held 66% of the possession in the game but failed to get a shot on goal. The majority of the game was played in the midfield.

The best chance to score came in the 84th minute on a Louis Perez shot from outside the box that rang off the crossbar over the outstretched hand of Tampa Bay keeper Evan Louro. The Riverhounds had a several runs at goal in the second half, but nothing materialized out of them.

“To me, we got balls in good positions past their midfield line with space and numbers, but we just didn’t execute,” Lilley said. “I thought we had them on tilt enough times to get something out of it, but we didn’t get anything. That’s something that we’ll continue to work on.”

Tampa Bay had four shots on target. Its best chance for a goal came in the 37th minute when, off a corner kick, Laurence Wyke got a strong shot on goal that was stopped by a diving Danny Vitiello.

Vitiello also made a crucial stop in the second half on a shot by former Riverhounds forward Steevan Dos Santos.

“Danny was good tonight,” Lilley said. “He had a good punch (on a corner kick) in the first half and a big save in the second half. I thought his feet were pretty good. He’s a smart keeper that generally makes the big save, and we needed it tonight.”

Forrest Lasso received a yellow card in the 31st minute for a hard foul on Riverhounds forward Russell Ciccerone, and Lucky Mkosana was carded for a foul in stoppage time. Riverhounds midfielder Danny Velarde was issued a yellow card in the 58th minute for a foul on Lewis Hilton.

The Riverhounds had three players on the injury list for Wednesday’s match: Jordan Dover, Josh Gatt and Albert Dikwa. Lilley indicated in the postgame press conference that Dikwa will be out longer term and might not return this season. Dikwa, an attacking forward, has three goals and two assists.

Lilley said they are looking on the market for a forward with Dikwa sidelined.

The Riverhounds host Tampa Bay once more this season, Oct. 10. The season series is 1-1-1.

Wednesday’s game was the Riverhounds’ fourth in 11 days.

They finish up the most grueling stretch of their schedule with a home game against Atlanta on Sunday.