Riverhounds midfielder Robbie Mertz evades Rhode Island FC's Rio Hope-Gund
A first-half goal from Jojea Kwizera was enough to see Rhode Island claim a 1-0 victory over the Riverhound at Highmark Stadium and leave Bob Lilley’s men on the verge of elimination in their inaugural USL Jagermeister Cup campaign.
The Riverhounds had the first clear chance of the game and it actually came through the kind of play I’ve been begging for them to have all season. Perrin Barnes charged down the right flank and whipped in a perfect ball into the middle of the box, Robbie Mertz was there to meet it but his header smacked against the inside of the post and was cleared away.
To add insult to injury, it didn’t take long for the visitors to head up the other end and make them pay. Guillaume Vacter’s clearance was blocked by Maxi Rodriguez and after it had fallen to former Hound Albert Dikwa, he had the presence of mind to backheel to Kwizera to stroke it past a stranded Jacob Randolph:
The home side responded well, huffing and puffing in an attempt to get back into things, but their efforts were perhaps best summed up just past the half hour mark, when Mertz’s free kick struck the wall, the rebound fell to Junior Etou and his scuffed shot hit Bertin Jacquesson square in the head, but he couldn’t direct it on target and it trickled behind limply for a goal kick.
The opening stages of the second half didn’t offer much in the way of chances for either side. The only shot either team could get on target was a very weak effort from Augi Williams from outside of the box that was easily gathered by Jackson Lee.
Williams was also involved in the other main spark of the second half, as his cross was tucked into the net by Danny Griffin as he darted ahead of Lee from Williams' cross, but Williams was a yard or two offside in the buildup and the play was called back. The frustrating part of the play was that Williams was looking right along the line as the ball was played, and for a veteran of the game, you’d expect him to time his run better than he did.
As one of my colleagues in the press box pointed out, this was the perfect game for a $1 beer night, because that was the only way you’d have been able to get through this.
The good news for the Riverhounds is that their final two games in this competition come against lower league opposition in Westchester and Portland Hearts of Pine (one of the weirder names in all of sports), so you would think they’ll be able to pick up six points from there. The bad news, is that they are going to need a lot of help from elsewhere and will need some very odd results to go their way.
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THE ASYLUM
Matthew Rhys Baldwin
3:32 am - 06.01.2025South ShoreHounds still lacking ideas as Jager Cup hopes sag
Chris Cowger / RIVERHOUNDS SC
Riverhounds midfielder Robbie Mertz evades Rhode Island FC's Rio Hope-Gund
A first-half goal from Jojea Kwizera was enough to see Rhode Island claim a 1-0 victory over the Riverhound at Highmark Stadium and leave Bob Lilley’s men on the verge of elimination in their inaugural USL Jagermeister Cup campaign.
The Riverhounds had the first clear chance of the game and it actually came through the kind of play I’ve been begging for them to have all season. Perrin Barnes charged down the right flank and whipped in a perfect ball into the middle of the box, Robbie Mertz was there to meet it but his header smacked against the inside of the post and was cleared away.
To add insult to injury, it didn’t take long for the visitors to head up the other end and make them pay. Guillaume Vacter’s clearance was blocked by Maxi Rodriguez and after it had fallen to former Hound Albert Dikwa, he had the presence of mind to backheel to Kwizera to stroke it past a stranded Jacob Randolph:
The home side responded well, huffing and puffing in an attempt to get back into things, but their efforts were perhaps best summed up just past the half hour mark, when Mertz’s free kick struck the wall, the rebound fell to Junior Etou and his scuffed shot hit Bertin Jacquesson square in the head, but he couldn’t direct it on target and it trickled behind limply for a goal kick.
The opening stages of the second half didn’t offer much in the way of chances for either side. The only shot either team could get on target was a very weak effort from Augi Williams from outside of the box that was easily gathered by Jackson Lee.
Williams was also involved in the other main spark of the second half, as his cross was tucked into the net by Danny Griffin as he darted ahead of Lee from Williams' cross, but Williams was a yard or two offside in the buildup and the play was called back. The frustrating part of the play was that Williams was looking right along the line as the ball was played, and for a veteran of the game, you’d expect him to time his run better than he did.
As one of my colleagues in the press box pointed out, this was the perfect game for a $1 beer night, because that was the only way you’d have been able to get through this.
The good news for the Riverhounds is that their final two games in this competition come against lower league opposition in Westchester and Portland Hearts of Pine (one of the weirder names in all of sports), so you would think they’ll be able to pick up six points from there. The bad news, is that they are going to need a lot of help from elsewhere and will need some very odd results to go their way.
Want to participate in our comments?
Want an ad-free experience?
Become a member, and enjoy premium benefits! Make your voice heard on the Steelers, Penguins and Pirates, and hear right back from tens of thousands of fellow Pittsburgh sports fans worldwide! Plus, access all our premium content, including Dejan Kovacevic columns, Friday Insider, daily Live Qs with the staff, more! And yeah, that's right, no ads at all!
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