Riverhounds pick up 1st win of season in home opener

As the seconds ticked off the Highmark Stadium scoreboard Saturday along the banks of the Monongahela, Bob Lilley and his Pittsburgh Riverhounds found the much-needed first win and 3 points, putting together a 1-0 home-opener victory against Hartford Athletic.

The game was played in brisk, windy conditions as 4,026 braved the weather to support the team in the 26th home opener in club history.

In a game that was sluggish to start, the Riverhounds kept sending balls into the attacking zone until one reached home.

“We caused some problems for them as the game went on,” coach Bob Lilley said. “We made some mistakes, silly turnovers that could have cost us. Last week we sat back and didn’t press. Today, I felt like we were willing to press. We deserved a goal, but we must get better. The final actions must be better.”

The visitors got off to a quick start when attacker Mamadou Dieng got free in the attacking box just 30 seconds in but sent a shot over the bar that Riverhounds keeper Eric Dick watched sail over his head.

Hartford had its best scoring chance in the first half when Jordan Scarlett got a ball in the box but sent a shot just wide right on Riverhounds goaltender Eric Dick.

The best first-half scoring opportunity for Riverhounds came in the 43rd minute when defender Beto Ydrach worked his way into the attacking box and placed a good header to the net, but Athletic keeper Antony Siaha got on his ladder and made a flying punching save as the ball was on target. The Hounds found one more scoring opportunity in extra time as Danny Griffin worked his way into the box and launched a rocket well over the crossbar.

However, Griffin wasn’t done for the night.

The Riverhounds had the better of play in the final 15 minutes of the first half and carried that into the second frame. They got several crosses into the box, only to be denied, until Griffin stepped into a ball in the 75th minute, delivered into the 6 box by midfielder Junior Etou, and firmly headed the ball home for the game’s lone score.

“Good finish by Danny,” Lilley said. “I was happy for him. Danny can play. We are pushing him, he’s pretty dynamic, and that allows him to get higher on the attack into the box.”

Hartford didn’t challenge much offensively in the second half. Of its six shots towards the net, only one was credited as on goal. The Athletic didn’t register a single shot in the second half. Its last real scoring opportunity came in the 89th minute off a corner kick that was easily pushed away.

After three games this season, the Riverhounds find themselves still in the middle of the Eastern Conference pack, standing 1-1-1 with four points out of a possible nine.

“We dropped some points in North Carolina,” Lilley said. “I thought we played well. As the game went on, we created some chances in dangerous areas. They defend from deep, and it’s hard to get a ball into the box against them. Plus, they counter well. That’s the tricky part playing them. We had to get more runners into the box. We didn’t close out the game the way I wanted.”

Dog bites:

• The Hounds are 12-2-2 all-time against Hartford.

• Eric Dick recorded his first clean sheet of the season. He set a Riverhounds record in 2024 with 14. The shutout is the 24th of his career.

• Griffin enters his second season as captain, leading the team in minutes played in three of the past four years.

• The lone yellow card was tallied by Riverhounds defender Illan Osumana in the 31st minute.

• Up next for the Riverhounds is a home match March 29 vs. Birmingham, which tied Detroit, 2-2 on Saturday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. on KDKA+.