Riverhounds Go Big Game Hunting Against Rhinos
Preview provided by Pittsburgh Riverhounds
PITTSBURGH (Sept. 15, 2015) - A win and a tie from this week's two remaining United Soccer League regular season games will guarantee the Pittsburgh Riverhounds a place in this year's playoffs.
That quest continues Wednesday night with the final scheduled home game against the Rochester Rhinos at Highmark Stadium. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
Pittsburgh's Mayor Bill Peduto will be in attendance along with local singer and songwriter Hannah Jenkins. The first 2,500 fans to arrive will also receive a free insulated cooler courtesy of Highmark.
The Hounds (10-9-7, 37 points) enter Wednesday's contest against the USL's regular season champion on a 3-game undefeated run. Head coach Mark Steffens has a near complete roster to choose from. Defender Sterling Flunder is the only player guaranteed to miss out through suspension after being sent off in Saturday's 1-1 tie at the Wilmington Hammerheads.
Ben Newnam and Stephen Okai struggled through Saturday's first half in North Carolina before being substituted at the interval. Newnam is edging closer to full fitness after straining a calf against the Charleston Battery on Sept. 5. Okai was playing his first game for a month after recovering from a lower left leg injury. Both players are expected to line up against Rochester.
Jamaican national team goalkeeper Ryan Thompson and central defender Fejiro Okiomah both returned to full training Monday after missing time due to respective knee and Achilles tendon problems.
Vini Dantas returned from two months on the sidelines to net last week's equalizer in Wilmington and bring the Hounds' tally for the season to 50 goals. It is the first time that the team has reached the half-century mark since the 2003 season. Only Louisville City (54) and the Colorado Springs Switchbacks (53) have found the net more often than the Hounds this year.
Finding the net against the Rhinos (15-1-9, 54 points) will be a difficult proposition. Rochester ran away with this year's regular season crown due largely to its stout back line limiting opponents to 12 goals. Charleston Battery holds the second best defensive record with 27 goals conceded.
Bob Lilley's team has registered 16 shutouts in 25 league games with goalkeeper Brandon Miller being responsible for a dozen of them. Cape Verdean forward Stevaan Dos Santos leads the Rhinos offense with eight goals in his first season in American soccer.
Two previous clashes between the teams this season ended in narrow defeats for the Hounds. Alex Dixon volleyed home a second-half winner in the Rhinos' 2-1 victory in Pittsburgh on April 4. Rochester's Tony Walls netted a late penalty kick on June 27 to score the only goal in the return contest at Sahlen's Stadium.
Mayor Peduto will be present for the announcement of a new partnership between Citiparks Pittsburgh BIG League Sports, the Keep On Playing Foundation and the Riverhounds that entails the club's professional coaches and players running clinics and training youth coaches in the city. Keep On Playing will donate soccer balls and other equipment for young kids.
Murrysville native Hannah Jenkins will play an acoustic set in the sports bar before and after the game and during the halftime interval.
Fans unable to attend Wednesday's game will be able to follow the action live on Riverhounds.com.
The Hounds end the regular season Saturday at the Harrisburg City Islanders when the inaugural Keystone Derby Cup will also be up for grabs. Riverhounds.com will have live coverage from the Skyline Sports Complex also.
Visit Riverhounds.com for ticket information or call our box office on (412) 325-7241 to speak to a representative.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
