Augi Williams was the highest profile offseason addition to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds roster.
In the team’s season opener, the signing already paid dividends.
Williams scored the tying goal in the 57th minute, sending the Riverhounds to a 1-1 draw with North Carolina FC on Saturday night in Cary, N.C.
While Williams was in the right place at the right time on the tying goal, it’s safe to say both of the game’s goals were fluky in nature.
North Carolina took a 1-0 lead in the 22nd minute. Riverhounds defender Beto Ydrach was retreating to make a routine play on a ball when his feet slid out from under him. Louis Perez pounced on the turnover and fed Evan Conroy for a goal.
On the tying goal, Luke Biasi sent a long, unremarkable pass from his own end into the area of Williams past midfield. The ball deflected off the head of North Carolina’s Aedon Sundstrom, leaving goalkeeper Jake McGuire, who had charged off his line, unable to corral it. Williams collected the ball and scored.
“It looked like a first game,” coach Bob Lilley said. “I don’t think either team was as sharp as we’d like to be. We had two tight games with them last year. It’s not surprising it was another draw.”
Williams, who has 77 career goals in the USL Championship, became the third player to score in his debut in the Lilley era, joining Dane Kelly (2022) and Bertin Jacquesson (2024).
The Riverhounds, who did not allow a shot on goal in the second half, will visit San Antonio next Saturday.
