The Riverhounds were riding high after their home-opening victory, bringing an upbeat and confident energy into the match against the Birmingham Legion. With the crowd’s excitement still fresh in their minds, they looked to carry that momentum into another strong performance against Birmingham Legion FC. Riverhounds started strong, with M Junior Etou pushing forward and creating opportunities. An early opportunity in the 4th minute via free kick as M Robbie Mertz sent a low ball into the crowded box, but Birmingham read it perfectly and cleared. The Hounds had another great opportunity in the 9th minute with back to back corners, unfortunately resulting in no threat of a goal.
In the 15th minute, M Aidan O’Toole was shown a yellow card with a hard challenge to M Enzo Martinez of Birmingham. In the 20th minute, M Robbie Mertz hustled away a long ball from the defense and managed a hard shot at goal; the rebound was briefly available until Birmingham GK Matt Van Dekel secured the ball. The Hounds dominated possession with a 69% rate throughout the first half. Their persistence paid off in the 36th minute, when Mertz found the back of the net with a shot off a rebound from M Bradley Sample, giving the Riverhounds a 1-0 lead. The pressure kept building as M Bradley Sample created another opportunity in stoppage time, earning the Hounds a late corner.
The first half ended with the Riverhounds ahead 1-0, having taken six shots, although the Hounds’ aggressive play could have led to even more goals. The second half began much like the first, with the Riverhounds controlling possession and maintaining dominance in the opening 10 minutes. Birmingham, on the other hand, struggled to break through the Hounds’ defense. It wasn’t until the 55th minute that Birmingham registered their first shot on goal, signaling a slight improvement in their attacking play. After a brief injury delay to M Roman Torres of Birmingham, the Riverhounds were quickly back in action, resuming their offensive pressure. In the 66th minute, F Augie Williams thought he had scored the Hounds’ second goal of the night, finishing well off a cross. However, the goal was ruled out for offside, much to the dismay of the Hounds’ forward and supporters. Undeterred, the Hounds continued to push forward, and in the 70th minute, their persistence paid off.
Following a strong build-up and a perfectly timed assist from D Beto Ydrach, the team captain, M Danny Griffin, calmly slid the ball into the net to make it 2-0. This goal further solidified the Hounds’ control of the match, leaving Birmingham with little time to mount a comeback. Despite multiple substitutions from Birmingham, the Hounds were able to secure the victory of Birmingham 2-0 and Hounds GK Eric Dick secured his second clean sheet of the season.
After the game Coach Lilley, talked about the importance of fast starts but noted the team “needs to learn how to close out a game.” The Hounds look to add to their 2 game winning streak as they go on the round next to face the Charleston Battery in two weeks.