Hounds hang on for a 2-1 win in Harrisburg.

Four minutes of stoppage time felt like four hours. Harrisburg threw everything and the kitchen sink at the Hounds to no avail. The Hounds bent but for once they didn’t break. What was essentially playoff game zero was tense through out but the sweet sweet victory made it all worth it. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to celebrate on the way home from a road win. As you’ve seen on our social media accounts, we definitely made the most of it.

Game wise the Hounds looked pretty good for the first 70 minutes or so. I thought they controlled the first half and had several good chances besides the two goals. Moloto’s goal was a great scrappy team effort to not give up on the ball and I think probably caught the keeper by surprise. Our smoke was still going when Kerr got his chance to slot one in on the near post, and wow was it a surgical strike. It was right in front of our section so we got a great view of his precision. A couple inches to either side and he would’ve hit either the side of the net or Knoble.

Around the 70th is when the Hounds starting sitting back and playing much more defensive to try to get the win and prevent another high scoring affair. Couple that with Harrisburg getting desperate and unfortunately the Hounds do what they wont to do lately and let up a goal, making their jobs all the more difficult for the final 15. There were a lot of extremely close calls and bullets to dodge. The main problem I saw in the final minutes of the game was the Hounds being really sloppy with possession. When they got the ball they either booted it down the field and Harrisburg was quick to get it, or if they did get out with numbers they lost the ball pretty quickly and had to hustle back. At this point I’m not sure if the late game issues are something that can be fixed. To go on a deep run they’ll probably have to run up as many goals in the first as possible and hope for the best.

It’s Monday afternoon now. The euphoria of this past weekend is starting to fade. Saturday was a tremendous victory and another memorable night in a memorable season. We have one cup. Now it’s time to look towards the second. The Hounds travel to New York to take on Red Bulls II for the first round of the playoffs this Saturday. It’s an early kick off- 5 pm. We have no idea if there’s going to be an attempted bus or watch party details. When we hear about it we’ll let you know.

Notes

• First and foremost thanks again to Tuffy and the team for the last minute bus. It was an awesome trip!
• The 4-5-1 line up to start was interesting and seemed to work for the most part.
• Harrisburg sure played rough and the ref let them do it. A lot of non calls. Kudos to the Hounds for not falling to their level and responding. The Hounds played their game and got the win because of it.
• Late season Brown is clutch.
• I was wondering if the players would be that into the first season of the Keystone Cup. It was great to see they were as pumped about winning it as we were.
• Mcgrath’s is a quality pub in Harrisburg and as far as I care the only place worth visiting.
• 21 minutes before we got a word from security. A talking to about cursing is to be expected. Specifically saying we can’t sing about sleeping with Noble’s girlfriend and mother was a new one.

What They’re Saying

John Krysinsky – Pittsburgh Soccer Report

“I was so pleased with our defensive performance. We’ve gone from being one of the worst teams in the league defending — to in the final third of the season being one of the best,” added Steffens.

The fourth edition of this year’s Keystone Derby between the intrastate rivals that has been filled with high-scoring games and remarkable comebacks by each team, the Hounds defense stood tall in a series that saw a total of 28 goals.

“It was really hard to know what to expect. We won 6-5 at our place, 5-2 in the first game. They had us 4-3 here. But, at this point in season. The way we’ve been playing, I thought it would be a little low scoring.” said Steffens.

Steffens, who’s won two USL titles and coached in seven Championship games feel that his team is playing well enough to make a strong playoff run.

“A lot of teams don’t like to play that last team to get in, because you have everything to gain, and nothing to lose,” said Steffens.

“We’ll be an underdog. And that’s fine. We’ve played well against New York this year, so I like our chances.”

Props for John surviving his 3rd Steel Army away trip.

Playoffs

Your 2015 Eastern Conference playoff teams are (in order) Rochester, Louisville, Charleston, New York, Pittsburgh, Richmond.

First round Eastern Conference games-
Saturday, September 26
No. 4 New York Red Bulls II vs. No. 5 Pittsburgh Riverhounds, 5 p.m. ET, Red Bull Arena
No. 3 Charleston Battery vs. No. 6 Richmond Kickers, 7:30 p.m. ET, MUSC Health Stadium

#UNLEASH