The Pittsburgh Riverhounds continued their midseason surge with a 1-0 road win over Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday night.
Edward Kizza scored late in the first half and goalkeeper Eric Dick made eight saves to lead the Riverhounds to their third win in their last four games, regaining momentum after a 1-1 home draw against Loudoun United FC last weekend.
It was the eighth shutout of the season for the Riverhounds (6-9-7), who moved to within four points of Detroit and Rhode Island, who are tied for seventh in the USL Eastern Conference standings. The top eight teams make the playoffs.
Sacramento (9-4-8) has the second-best record in the Western Conference.
Kizza’s goal came in the 43rd minute. He took a clever short pass from Danny Griffin at the top of the box and rocketed a shot into the top-right corner of the cage.
Dick’s eight saves were a season high and the most for a Hounds goalkeeper since Mauricio Vargas made eight in a 1-0 loss at FC Cincinnati on May 14, 2016.
The Riverhounds will be back on the road for their final midweek match of the season when they visit Detroit at 7 p.m. Wednesday.
