PITTSBURGH, The Pittsburgh Riverhounds survived a cagey, scoreless duel with Hartford Athletic and moved on in the USL Championship Playoffs, prevailing 4-2 in a penalty kick shootout after a 0-0 draw through 120 minutes at Highmark Stadium on Saturday night, the fourth-seeded Hounds converted all four of their spot kicks: Bertin Jacquesson, Robbie Mertz, Augi Williams and Sean Suber, while goalkeeper Eric Dick set the tone by stopping Hartford’s first attempt, and Hartford’s Samuel Careaga missed their decisive fourth try to end the tie.
Defense and goalkeeping set the tone, the match was a goalkeeper’s duel from the outset, Hartford’s Antony Siaha and Pittsburgh’s Eric Dick each finished with three saves and combined for a rare dual shutout, Dick’s clean sheet was his 27th for the Riverhounds, moving him past Hunter Gilstrap into second place in club history for shutouts, that defensive resilience carried the Hounds through two tight halves and a period of extra time where clear, high-quality chances were at a premium.
First half momentum and a disallowed opener, Hartford began on the front foot and appeared to strike early when Kyle Edwards followed up a rebound and put the ball in the net inside two minutes, but the initial effort was ruled offside and the goal was disallowed, Pittsburgh then settled, with one of the best Hounds chances coming in the 29th minute when Beto Ydrach met a Robbie Mertz free kick with a header that Siaha did well to save with a low, lunging stop.
Second half urgency and near misses, the Riverhounds pushed for the breakthrough after halftime, forcing saves and blocks while Hartford depended on quick counters, Junior Etou’s early cross created a chance for Danny Griffin that required a reaction save, Michee Ngalina had an open look for Hartford that curled wide, and Robbie Mertz threaded a late run in stoppage time that came agonizingly close, bodies from both sides scrambled at the top of the six-yard box and Mertz was marginally beaten to the touch that might have won the match inside 90.
Extra time and set-piece scrambles, extra time featured a string of set-piece opportunities for both teams, Hartford was forced to scramble multiple corners, and Suber nearly turned a header goalward before the midway point of extra time, late in stoppage Jacquesson slipped a through ball to Mertz in the box only for former Hounds defender Joe Farrell to block the shot on the line, keeping the score level and sending the game to penalties.
Shootout storylines and individual honors, in the shootout Dick’s initial save on Hadji Barry swung momentum, after both sides converted successive kicks Hartford’s Samuel Careaga sent his effort over the crossbar on the fourth attempt, and Suber’s composed low finish sealed the win for Pittsburgh, Robbie Mertz, the Modelo Man of the Match, played all 120 minutes, finished 46-of-51 on passes (90.2 percent), led the team with seven recoveries, won three free kicks and calmly converted his penalty.
What’s next for the Hounds, the Riverhounds improved to 3-4 all-time in penalty shootouts and will host No. 8 seed Detroit City FC in the Eastern Conference Semifinal on Saturday, November 8, with kickoff time to be announced, the two sides previously met in postseason play when Detroit beat Pittsburgh in 2023, setting the stage for a high-stakes rematch at Highmark Stadium as the Hounds attempt to push deeper into the playoffs.
(Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds)