Kevin Gorman and Matthew Grubba recap the first half of the Riverhounds season.

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds (2-10-4) extended their goalless streak to three matches, falling to the Richmond Kickers (7-6-5), 2-0, in a contest delayed by both weather and a power outage at Highmark Stadium.

Tallying the goals for the Kickers were Yudai Imura in the 44th minute on a penalty and Sunny Jane in the 67th minute.

Both teams battled evenly in the first half, trading possession and chances throughout the match’s first 45 and change. Hounds midfielder Lebo Moloto kept active, compiling two dangerous chances from distance, including a solid display of footwork and possession in the box in the 38th minute to force a save by Richmond goalkeeper and D.C. United loanee Travis Worra.
The match took an unfortunate turn for the Hounds in the 44th minute, as defender Willie Hunt, jockeying for position in the Hounds box, was called for a penalty. Richmond’s Imura took the penalty, firing a shot past Mauricio Vargas from the right side to give the Kickers a lead before halftime.
During the break, the stadium was bombarded with a torrential downpour complete with thunder and lightning, forcing a weather delay. The conclusion of the lengthy delay though was extended even further by a power outage. The inconvenience ended up delaying the start of the second half by nearly two hours, with play not resuming until 10:36 p.m. – the first half concluded at 7:48 p.m.
Shaking off rust, both squads battled in the midfield before Jane took off on a lengthy run down the pitch, eventually finishing with a direct strike at the top of the box in the 67th minute. From there, the Hounds would push to wipe away the clean sheet, but we’re ultimately unsuccessful.