Riverhounds Tie but Fall in Penalty Shootout to Hearts of Pine

PITTSBURGH, Pa. — In their final group stage match of the Jägermeister Cup, the Pittsburgh Riverhounds battled the Portland Hearts of Pine to a 2-2 draw on Friday night. The match, held at Maine’s newly opened facility, ended with a penalty shootout, where the Riverhounds fell 7-6 after regulation time.

The contest began with both teams going scoreless in the first half, thanks in large part to solid goalkeeping efforts from Pittsburgh’s Jacob Randolph, who made a key save in the 20th minute. Randolph denied a well-placed shot from Portland’s Evan Southern, maintaining a clean sheet until the second half.

Action intensified after halftime, where all four goals were scored in a chaotic 11-minute period. The Hearts of Pine took the lead first, with Ollie Wright assisting Titus Washington for a goal in the 64th minute. However, Bertin Jacquesson responded swiftly for the Riverhounds, scoring two equalizing goals, the second one coming from a penalty kick after a foul by Mohamed Mohamed.

“I think we got what we needed out of it,” said Riverhounds Head Coach Bob Lilley. “We showed resilience coming back twice, and we got some players important minutes.”

As the match neared its conclusion, the Hounds pressed to take the lead but faced a determined Portland defense. Portland’s goalkeeper, Hunter Morse, who replaced the red-carded Oladapo earlier, stopped a crucial penalty from Jorge Garcia, sealing the shootout victory for the home side.

With this tie, both teams concluded their group stage play with a record of 1-2-1, failing to advance to the knockout rounds of the Jägermeister Cup. The tournament will now continue with Rhode Island FC and Hartford Athletic competing for the top spot in Group 4.