Pittsburgh, PA - The Pittsburgh Riverhounds will begin league play next week when they visit Charlotte but their preseason has been impressive after winning their past two games.
On April 5th, the 'hounds went to Robert Morris University, in Moon Township, where they took on a group of Pennsylvania College All-Stars. That team was made up of players from the University of Pittsburgh, Duquesne University, the host school(Robert Morris), St. Francis (PA), and California University of Pennsylvania, all wearing their respective school jerseys.
The 'hounds ended up with a 2-0 lead before about a hundred on-lookers at the North Athletic Complex. It was Aleksey Korol scoring the first and only goal of the first half, beating Duquesne goalkeeper Terry McNelis from about 10 yards, from David Flavius. It was the first match back for Flavius who had just returned from the CONCACAF competition where he played for his native St. Lucia. During the time away he even managed to score a goal for his homeland.
The All-Stars played well, but could not get anything by either of the 'hounds goalkeepers, Randy Dedini, or T.J. Hannig.
It was not until near the end of the match that Matt Chulis increased the lead, beating the University of Pittsburgh cageminder, Justin Gaul, who had replaced McNelis in the second half. Ricardo Villar earned the assist.
Another scrimmage was played at the Pine-Richland High School Stadium, as the Riverhounds hosted Ohio State. The game was a tight one with both teams having chances, the 'hounds wearing their Gray shirts and black bottoms and the Buckeyes in Red with White trim, before maybe a few hundred fans on a perfect night.
After what was a scoreless game at the half, new addition to the team, Corey Woolfolk was taken down in the box to set up a penalty kick, which Ricardo Villar converted in the 86th minute past Ohio State goalkeeper Chad Brown. The Riverhounds start the season on Friday in Charlotte at Pine H.S. at 7:30. Then they travel to Atlanta for a 6pm contest with the Silverbacks on Saturday, April 26.
