PITTSBURGH, PA --- Djiby and Andrew Wiedeman combined for a goal for the second straight week as FC Cincinnati (1-1-0) came away with a 1-0 road win at Pittsburgh Riverhounds (0-1-1) Sat. at Highmark Stadium. The win gave Alan Koch his first victory as the club’s manager and the one-goal decision extended FCC’s shutout streak against the ‘Hounds to four fixtures.
“I’m very pleased with the players’ performance and our management of the match in the second half tonight,” said Head Coach Alan Koch. “Pittsburgh showed in the first half how much they have improved and what a good team they will be this year. Anytime you can get three points on the road in this conference is a great result. I am very happy for the team and the traveling supporters were fantastic!”
Djiby and Wiedeman paired up in the 55th minute with Wiedeman curling in a pass from the left side to find Djiby, who was able to create space in the box and headed in the pass for his second goal of the season.
The second half belonged to FCC, who played with a man advantage after a second yellow card was issued to Gale Agbossoumonde in the 42nd minute following a late foul on Wiedeman.
FCC out-shot Pittsburgh 10-4 in the period and posted a 62.6 percent possession advantage. The Orange and Blue kept the ‘Hounds on their heels with Djiby leading the team with four shots, including attempts in the 64th and 73rd minutes that were handled by Riverhounds goalie Trey Mitchell.
An FCC turnover in the 73rd minute set up a rare opportunity for the Riverhounds and Kevin Kerr took a shot, looking for the equalizer but Mitch Hildebrandt was there for the save.
Pittsburgh forward, Corey Hertzog, looked to score for the second straight week in the 80th minute, flicking the ball in the air and spinning to take a shot but his attempt stayed wide of the goal.
Aodhan Quinn had a pair of shots in the game for FCC with one on target in the 88th minute that was blasted at Mitchell, whose only option was to block the ball and send it out of play for an FCC corner.
The first half was evenly matched with each team firing six shots apiece. An initial set of challenges were mounted by both sides. Pittsburgh earned an early corner kick in the second minute and Ben Swanson was in position for the shot after the FCC clearance but sent the ball high.
Weideman had an attempt in the fourth minute that bounced off Mitchell and with Djiby patrolling the area, was set up for an FCC opportunity, but the ball squirted past the forward untouched.
FCC survived an indirect kick from the six-yard line in the 14th minute after a ball picked up by Hildebrandt was ruled a pass back to the goalie. The near point-blank shot was blocked and the Orange and Blue escaped the challenge unscathed.
The two teams traded possession until the 23rd minute when Jamal Jack had a look at the FCC goal following a foul by Quinn but Hildebrandt was able to pick the deflected shot out of the air.
In the final moments of stoppage time in the first half, Pittsburgh lined a shot from the left flank that got past Hildebrandt but Delbridge was there to make the key goal-line save to keep Pittsburgh off the ledger and the score knotted at 0-0 going into the half.
FCC continues on the road at Bethlehem Steel FC next Sun., Apr. 9 for a 4:00 p.m. match that will be televised on Star-64.
Starting Lineup
FCC
Mitch Hildebrandt, Matt Bahner. Austin Berry, Harrison Delbridge, Tyler Polak, Kenney Walker, Aodhan Quinn, Kadeem Dacres, Andrew Weideman, Jimmy McLaughlin, Djiby
Pittsburgh
Trey Mitchell, Taylor Washington, Gale Agbossoumonde, Jamal Jack, Rich Balchan, Victor Souto, Ben Swanson, Jack Thompson, Marshall Hollingsworth, Corey Hertzog, Kevin Kerr
Scoring Summary
55th: FCC – Djiby (Andrew Wiedeman)
