Riverhounds secure 1-1 draw with Miami FC in final seconds

With July heat and a Wicked (promotion of the night) second-half run to the USL Championship playoffs underway, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds hosted Miami FC on a very rare Tuesday evening game on the Mon.

The visitors came into the contest clinging to the eighth and final playoff spot in the East, holding 19 points. The local 11 came into the match sitting in the fifth spot of the East with 23 points.

The Hounds were facing a team that was tied for the second-worst goal differential in the entire league at minus-8. Getting 3 points on this night would be critical, as the regular season’s final three months and 13 games lay ahead.

A Miami goal in the 83rd minute seemed to be enough for the visitors, who dominated play all evening. But with seconds left in extra time, a late Riverhounds goal allowed the host to secure a 1-1 draw in front of 5,095 fans and a national TV audience on ESPN 2.

Both teams came out in the first half and tested each other, but it was Miami who had more possession time, along with the only three shots on goal. But it was the Riverhounds who had the best chance of scoring in a very evenly contested game, coming late in the first half.

Robbie Mertz did a great job of finding defender Perrin Barnes on the far-right wing in the 41st minute. Barnes made a move, then sent a cross into the box that found a space where midfielder Brad Sample placed his head on the ball, sending it to the far corner post out of the reach of Miami goalkeeper Bill Hamid. It found iron and bounced back into play. Augi Williams ran too far toward the ball, allowing Hamid to collect the ball and keep the game tied.

The visitors began the second half pestering Riverhounds goalie Eric Dick beginning in the 48th minute. Miami forward Francisco Bonfiglio was left alone at the top of the 18-box and sent a low shot to Dick’s left. The 6-foot-5 keeper needed all of his frame to reach out with his left hand and push the ball away.

Three minutes later, it was Miami FC midfielder Cristian Vazquez who found himself the beneficiary of a ball that got by Pittsburgh defender Guillaume Vacter and onto his right foot. His shot was placed well over Dick’s hands but hit the crossbar and, again, the game stay tied.

The next 30 minutes featured back-and-forth play until Miami struck in the 83rd minute as Bonfiglio buried a ball behind Dick off a low cross right at the front of the net. It came from teammate Allen Gavilanes on Miami’s 15th shot of the game and sixth on target.

“Every ball that popped in the middle of the field, they won,” said Riverhounds coach Bob Lilley. “On set pieces, we’re slow in transition. We have to clean things up. It was hot, but I felt we were ready to compete tonight. They pushed us around. When they scored, it wasn’t a surprise.”

It seemed all but over as four minutes of extra time was called for. Miami did gain possession of the ball just after the 94th minute was recorded in Pittsburgh territory, but not long enough to draw the game’s final whistle.

The Hounds pushed into the attacking zone, drew a foul and took a free kick with literal seconds left that found late sub Junior Etou racing along the far left wing. He sent a cross to the near post, finding rookie midfielder Charles Ahl, another last-minute sub, whose header was perfectly placed in the lower corner of the near post, finding net and tying the game in dramatic fashion.

“Loved the response,” Lilley offered. “We galvanized ourselves to play better. We’ve got to be prepared to push the game more and be more aggressive. We still played lousy. We benefited from a mistake by Miami. I don’t want to be resilient; I want to be effective. I hope anytime when we’re behind, we fight back. I’m more worried about the 90 minutes of play than what happened in stoppage time.”

Pittsburgh has little time to rest, as they host Rhode Island on Saturday at Highmark Stadium. The 7 p.m. start can be seen on SportsNet Pittsburgh.