The Pittsburgh Riverhounds saw their season end Saturday night in excruciating fashion.

The Hounds blew a two-goal lead in the final 10 minutes of regulation and lost 3-2 in a shootout to Louisville FC in the USL Championship Eastern Conference semifinals.

Louisville FC, which has advanced to at least the conference finals eight straight seasons, converted all five of its attempts in the shootout. The Riverhounds were stopped just once, when Danny Faundez turned back Danny Griffin in the first round.

The Riverhounds (16-10-10) played with a lead for the vast majority of regulation thanks to two goals from Russell Cicerone.

He struck first in the 14th minute when Robbie Mertz made a run up the right wing and sent a cross to Cicerone. He settled, fired and scored to make it 1-0.

Cicerone made it 2-0 early in the second half when he took a long through ball from Kenardo Forbes and finished in the 47th minute.

The comeback for Louisville (23-6-6) began in the 83rd minute when Manny Perez finished a rebound in the penalty area.

It continued a minute later when the Riverhounds were guilty of a foul in the penalty area, and Cameron Lancaster converted the penalty kick to make it 2-2.

Louisville also defeated the Riverhounds in the playoffs in 2019 and 2020. Their 2021 season ended with a forfeit because of a covid outbreak.

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