Defenders score in bunches as Riverhounds rout Miami FC

Jelani Peters and Shane Weidt earn their paycheck with their defending on the back line, but Saturday night they gave the Riverhounds a big boost on offense in an area that had been lacking this season.

Peters netted a pair and Weidt had one, with all three goals coming on set pieces, to help the Riverhounds earn a convincing 4-1 win over Miami FC at Highmark Stadium.

Coming into Saturday, the Riverhounds had scored only twice off set pieces all season. Against Miami, all three came in the second half, which was a satisfying result.

“We’re definitely capable of getting on the end of those restart goals, and I think it was about time some of them start falling,” Weidt said. “They came in big numbers tonight, so hopefully, we can keep it going. I’m not sure there’s necessarily one thing you can point to, but we were more aggressive. In training, we’ve put more emphasis on being aggressive on restarts, so I think it comes down to that.”

Russell Cicerone scored in the 14th minute to put the Riverhounds on the board and that score stood until Peters made good on a header off a corner from Kenardo Forbes in the 49th minute.

Peters, a 6-foot-5 center back, got his second 17 minutes later off a well-played free kick by the Riverhounds. The ball was played into the box to Weidt, who shot the ball off a defender, and it settled right at Peters’ feet and he knocked it home.

It was Peters’ first two goals of the season as well as his first two-goal game as a professional. He scored once last season on a header off a corner kick.

“The first one, the defender was all over me, so I kind of lost him and I saw the ball coming to me and I knew it was going to be good. I was 100% sure,” Peters said. “The second one happened to bounce onto my left foot, and I just hit through it. I was lucky to get two tonight. We got three goals from center backs, which is pretty cool.”

Weidt joined in on the fun in the 68th minute, scoring on a header of another free kick assist from Forbes. It was his first goal of the season.

Miami’s Callum Chapman-Page broke up the shutout in the final minute of extra time.

The Riverhounds capped a successful week at home, adding to their 1-0 win Wednesday against Indy Eleven. They’ve won three straight to start July after a dismal June in which they earned only one point in four games. They remained tied for fourth with Detroit City FC.

“We’ve just had more intensity and determination to compete in our defending,” Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley said. “We haven’t given up many clear looks the last three games. We’ve tightened up, and that’s given us some confidence. When it got to 2-0, I was happy that we continued to find ways to create chances and not just sit back. To get a third and a fourth tonight was important, because we kept playing and didn’t just try to hang on. That’s the way to do it. We had two good wins this week, because a lot of guys played a significant part and that will help us moving forward.”

The Riverhounds travel to Albuquerque to play New Mexico United next Saturday.