The Pittsburgh Riverhounds fell 2-1 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night, surrendering a lead they held for just over 80 minutes. Rookie Charles Ahl struck in just the third minute to give the Hounds their quickest goal of the season, but second-half strikes from Lewis Hilton and Woobens Pacius turned the tide in favor of the hosts. The result drops Pittsburgh to 7-8-7 on the season and leaves them five points adrift of fourth-place North Carolina FC with eight matches remaining.
Pittsburgh burst out of the gates, with Luke Biasi’s run down the left flank culminating in a slick assist to Robbie Mertz. Mertz cut inside before teeing up Ahl, who curled his finish into the top corner from 12 yards out for his second goal of the year, officially 119 seconds into play. The Hounds nearly doubled their lead when Augi Williams raced onto another Mertz feed in the 25th minute, only to see former Hounds defender Thomas Vancaeyezeele clear his shot off the line as the ball trickled toward an open net. Eric Dick—a constant thorn in Tampa Bay’s side—pulled off a highlight-reel stop in first-half stoppage time, stretching full-length to deny Hilton from 25 yards out and preserve Pittsburgh’s advantage heading into the break.
Tampa Bay shifted momentum early in the second half. A well-worked corner in the 64th minute saw substitute Joey Skinner power a header down to the feet of Hilton. Dick parried the effort onto the crossbar, but Hilton battled through traffic to knock in the rebound off his knee and level the score. Despite persistent pressure from the Hounds—with Mertz spraying two dangerous crosses into the box—Pittsburgh could not manufacture a go-ahead goal. Moments after his introduction in the 46th minute, Manuel Arteaga delivered a diagonal ball that found Pacius on the right edge of the area. The Rowdies’ leading scorer took one touch before drilling a low finish past Dick in the 75th minute, sealing the comeback and the three points for Tampa Bay.
The loss represents a significant blow to Pittsburgh’s playoff aspirations. In addition to dropping points on the road, the Hounds saw their cushion behind the fourth spot shrink to just a single victory’s margin. With the regular season winding down and a stiff slate of opponents ahead, Pittsburgh will need to rebalance its attack and tighten defensively if it hopes to host a postseason match for the first time this year. The Hounds travel to Oakland next Sunday to battle the Oakland Roots.
(photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds)