Tree of Life

31 May

Game of the Year

published in category: Riverhounds on Sunday, May 31st, 2015 – 10:17 am

The crowd at Highmark Stadium witnessed one of the greatest games in American soccer history Saturday night as the Pittsburgh Riverhounds salvaged a two-goal deficit with less that five seconds remaining in regulation time to defeat the Harrisburg City Islanders by 6-5.

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Kevin Kerr sent Pittsburgh’s fans into ecstasy with a goal from close range in the waning moments of stoppage time for a miraculous victory in the Keystone Derby.

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Three first-half goals from the visitors appeared to have deflated the mood among Hounds fans after the late dramatics from the midweek cup win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies. A spirited second-half fight back seemed to have been extinguished when Islanders substitute Garret Pettis put Harrisburg 5-3 ahead with four minutes left.

Hounds captain Danny Earls pulled one back as the fourth official prepared to raise his board showing the additional minutes. Rob Vincent struck a piledriver of a free kick into Nick Noble’s top corner in the first added minute, and Kerr ended a dramatic night with a cool finish after exchanging passes with Lebo Moloto.

“The only thing close to this was when I lost 7-4 with Charlotte Eagles to Orlando in the 2013 championship game,” said Riverhounds head coach Mark Steffens. “Being down two goals with a minute to go in the game, it’s amazing.

“I really don’t have any words.”

There was little hint of the drama to follow at the interval. Harrisburg had opened the scoring on 28 minutes when midfielder Enric Valles found Yann Ekra by air on a long cross through the penalty area. Ekra took a controlling touch before finding the back of the net with a firm strike from 18 yards.

The Islanders struck again nine minutes later when Valles sent a ball through the Hounds’ backline to find Danny DiPrima for the easy finish.

Pittsburgh’s shaky defending had returned. Anthony Arena had the ball taken off his foot by Jose Barril one minute later and the Harrisburg midfielder buried yet another ball into the back of the Hounds’ net to stretch the lead to three.

The Hounds came out hungry at the start of the second half. Vincent got them on the board on 48 minutes with a goal from six yards out to convert Moloto’s perfect cross.

This put the momentum temporarily in the Hounds’ favor. Substitute Amara Soumah guided a beautiful header into the top corner of the Islanders net on 52 minutes to pull the hosts within one. It was Soumah’s first professional goal.

The Islanders seemed to muffle any comeback hopes four minutes later when Cardel Benbow found Jason Plumhoff on the goal line for an easy finish to make it 4-2 to the visitors.

Still the Hounds fought back. They were awarded a penalty kick with nine minutes remaining when Erick Cruz pulled down Moloto inside the 6-yard box. Earls tucked away the rebound after goalkeeper Noble blocked Kerr’s initial kick.

Harrisburg appeared to tie up the points for good when Pettis latched onto Valles’ third defense-splitting pass of the night to lob the charging Ryan Hulings and convert an easy finish for a 5-3 Islanders lead.

Steffens’ side refused to accept defeat and pulled off the most remarkable result in Riverhounds history to secure to move above the Islanders in the USL’s Eastern Conference standings.

The Hounds remain at home next weekend when first-year club Saint Louis F.C. visits Pittsburgh for the first time. Brazilian forward Vini Dantas scored his first goal for the Hounds to secure a 1-1 tie when the teams met in Fenton, Missouri on April 11.

Visit Riverhounds.com for ticket information or call the Highmark Stadium box office on (412) 325-7241 to speak to a representative.

Scoring Summary:

HAR – Yann Ekra 28 (Enric Valles)

HAR – Danny DiPrima 37 (Enric Valles)

HAR – Jose Barril 38

PGH – Rob Vincent 48 (Lebo Moloto)

PGH – Amara Soumah 52 (Miro Cabrilo)

HAR – Jason Plumhoff 56 (Cardel Benbow)

PGH – Danny Earls 81

HAR – Garret Pettis 86 (Enric Valles)

PGH – Danny Earls 90

PGH – Rob Vincent 90+

PGH – Kevin Kerr 90+ (Lebo Moloto)

Misconduct Summary:

PGH – Amara Soumah 90+

Posted in Riverhounds

 

29 May

Steelers interview with Anthony Chickillo

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Friday, May 29th, 2015 – 1:21 pm

Steelers Rookie Linebacker Anthony Chickillo joins Junker and Laird to talk about the OTA’s.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

29 May

Keystone Derby Cup Saturday Night by Jessica Schweitzer

published in category: Riverhounds on Friday, May 29th, 2015 – 8:19 am

On Wednesday, May 27, more than 600 people gathered in Highmark Stadium to watch the Pittsburgh Riverhounds play the Tampa Bay Rowdies at 7 p.m. The Riverhounds defeated the Rowdies 1-0 with a game-winning goal by Rob Vincent in the remaining three minutes of the match. The victory earned the Riverhounds a spot in the fourth round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup against D.C. United on June 17 at Highmark Stadium.

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The Riverhounds played a great game against the Rowdies but packed the most heat throughout the second half of the match. Rowdies had possession for the better portion of the first half but could not get the ball in the net past Riverhounds’ goalkeeper, Ryan Hulings. On 15 minutes, Hulings quickly stopped a shot from Rowdies’ midfielder, Martin Nunez. On 18 minutes, Hulings blocked another rebounded shot by Nunez to regain possession for the Riverhounds. Throughout the first half, Riverhounds midfielder, Lebo Moloto tore through the Rowdie’s defense to attempt a few shots on Rowdies goalkeeper, Matt Pickens.
During the second half, the Riverhounds’ offense kicked it up a notch with Kevin Kerr and Rob Vincent to test Pickens in the net. Pickens saved several shots from Kerr, Vincent and Tyler Pasher during the second half but could not save a shot by Vincent, assisted by Pasher on the 90+1 minute of the game.
The next Riverhounds’ home game will be on Saturday, May 30 at 7 p.m. against the Harrisburg City Islanders to compete in the second portion of the 2015 Keystone Derby Cup series.

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Posted in Riverhounds

 

28 May

Pitt vs. PSU or WVU

published in category: College Sports on Thursday, May 28th, 2015 – 2:37 pm


Posted in College Sports

 

28 May

Interview with Steelers Safety Mike Mitchell

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, May 28th, 2015 – 10:28 am

Observations you can only get from the Mark Kaboly Show on Steelers OTA, interview with safeties Mike Mitchell and Will Allen.

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Heinz Field management is reminding fans attending the Kenny Chesney concert on Saturday, May 30, of stadium policies that are in place. All gates open at 4 p.m.

Chesney’s “The Big Revival Tour” will start at 4:45 p.m. in the main bowl. Special guests include Eric Church, Brantley Gilbert, Chase Rice and Old Dominion.

In addition, there will be free concerts by Locash and Waterloo Revival on Art Rooney Avenue starting at Noon. Also, Love and Theft will perform in the FedEx Great Hall at 4 p.m.

Parking lots open at 1 p.m. however parking is limited around Heinz Field. Fans are encouraged to use public parking, which is available at the West General Robinson Garage, the North Shore Garage, at parking garages downtown, at Station Square and at Allegheny Center.

Fans that park downtown can utilize the North Shore Connector to get them to Heinz Field. Fans can use either the Gateway or Wood Street station and the connector will transport them to the North Shore.

All fans that enter these lots must have a ticket to the concert and must enter Heinz Field by
7 p.m. Guests must leave the parking areas no later than one hour after the concert ends.

Heinz Field management reminds fans of the parking lot code of conduct:
• Upon entering, fans will receive trash and recycling bags.
• Trash must be disposed of properly.
• The following are prohibited: solicitation of any kind, the sale of food and alcohol, glass containers, tents, personal port-a-johns, furniture (other than folding lawn chairs and tables), and oversized vehicles.

The NFL’s Bag Policy that was implemented in 2013 will be in effect for this show. We encourage fans not to bring a bag into events. If necessary, there are two options: a clear plastic bag the size of a 1 gallon Ziploc bag or a small hand held purse clutch. For more information on the bag policy, visit http://www.steelers.com/tickets-and-stadium/security-guide.html

In addition, Heinz Field management does not permit the following items in the stadium: selfie sticks, coolers, bags (see bag policy), thermoses, backpacks, large purses, cans, glass bottles, flasks, alcoholic beverages, laser pointers, noisemakers, strollers, video & movie cameras, tripods, audio recording equipment, weapons and any other items deemed dangerous and/or inappropriate. All bags are subject to inspection. Umbrellas may be brought into the stadium but are not permitted to be open in the seating bowl.

Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 

28 May

Riverhounds advance in tourney

published in category: Riverhounds on Thursday, May 28th, 2015 – 9:04 am

The Pittsburgh Riverhounds played up to and beyond their higher competition as a stoppage time strike by Rob Vincent sent them to a 1-0 victory over the Tampa Bay Rowdies in the third round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.

Vincent broke the deadlock after receiving a pass from left-back Tyler Pasher and charging down the field. The Englishman expertly drove his shot home from 25 yards as it seemed that extra time would be required to separate the sides.

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Pittsburgh’s victory means that the Hounds will host Major League Soccer franchise D.C. United at Highmark Stadium on June 17 in the fourth round.

“It will be a great experience facing an MLS side,” Vincent said. “Everyone wants to play against the best opposition and hopefully we can win again.”

The Hounds looked the better team throughout the second half. They put together a second clean sheet in eight days with back-up goalkeeper Ryan Hulings guarding the net.

Tampa Bay enjoyed most of the early possession. The Rowdies came close to opening the scoring on 18 minutes when Stephen Okai cleared Stefan Antonijevic’s header off the goal line. Hulings made a reflex save to stop a rebound from Martin Nunez.

The Hounds began to dictate play midway through the first half. South Africa playmaker Lebo Moloto danced his way through Tampa’s defense leading to a couple of corners.

Anthony Arena almost capitalized off one set piece on 38 minutes. Kevin Kerr struck the Rowdies goal post two minutes later from Miro Cabrilo’s cutback.
Pittsburgh tested Matt Pickens’ goal frequently in the second half before Vincent finally converted.

“We were just organized all the way through tonight,” Vincent said. “We got our first clean sheet last week and we’re trying to build on that.

“I’m glad we could win it and the end and not go to extra time.”

The Hounds return to action Saturday night when the Harrisburg City Islanders come to Highmark Stadium for the second installment of this season’s Keystone Derby Cup series. Kevin Kerr’s hat trick helped the Hounds to a 5-2 win in the first meeting on March 28.

Posted in Riverhounds

 

27 May

Big Data Baseball

published in category: Pittsburgh Pirates on Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 – 1:40 pm

Pirates Beat Writer Travis Sawchik in-studio with Junker and Laird to talk about his new book-Big Data Baseball.

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Posted in Pittsburgh Pirates

 

27 May

Steelers Camp Report

published in category: Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday, May 27th, 2015 – 12:29 pm

Big Ben talks about how good the offense can be, how often will the Steelers go for two? How many snaps will James Harrison play?

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Posted in Pittsburgh Steelers

 



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