Woke up this morning feeling fine
I’ve got the Riverhounds on my mind
Lilley’s got the boys playing the way they should
Oh yeah!

It wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t easy, but oh was it exciting. The Hounds put on a show Saturday night, taking down visiting Indy 3-2. Saturday’s victory keeps them in the hunt for second place (Louisville also won), but equally as important it’s one step closer to clinching a playoff spot.

Just like a couple weeks ago playing against Indy was a high scoring affair, but it took a half to get going. The first half didn’t leave a lot to get excited about. The Hounds controlled play pretty well and had more dangerous chances than Indy, but weren’t able to convert anything. The only thing really of note was seeing the distinct playing style of each side of the Hounds formation. On the left side Tommy V lead a training session on small triangle passing, and down the right Francois was burning guys with straight line speed. Having those two styles gave Indy fits since they were unable to settle in defending one or the other. Seeing such dynamic play isn’t something we’re used to, but we could get used to it real quick.

Things opened up in the second half with two quick strikes from the Hounds. Both goals were scrappy, ugly shots, but they got the job done. Zemanski notched his first of the year after pouncing on a deflection while Brett did what Brett does. Indy was reeling after the first 6 minutes at the half and took a while to recover. They ended up with a golden chance around the midway mark where the Indy attacker managed to get by Lynd near the top of the 18. It looked to be an easy tap in for an empty netter but ended up anything but when Lynd hauled ass and made a diving punch on the ball to knock it away. I don’t know why that didn’t end up in the highlight reel but it was a hell of a play by the current golden glove leader. Most keepers probably would’ve given up once the attacker got by them, but not the best goalkeeper in the league. At this point we were ready to pop the victory champagne.

It wouldn’t be a match against Indy through without some late game dramatics. You can set your watch to them getting an 80+ minute goal. Miscommunication between Greenspan and Adewole allowed Jack Mac to slot one home. It was squeaky bum time for the remaining 9 minutes until the Hounds were awarded another dying minute penalty. PK specialist Forbes slotted another one home to give the Hounds the cushion they needed to secure the win despite giving up a second to Indy a short time later.

A great night at Highmark as the Hounds momentum into the post season keeps on truckin. The only knock is lately the boys are giving up more goals than we’d like, but they’re still getting results sooooo *shrug emoji* It’s a busy week coming up for the Hounds. The hype train pulls into Harrisburg on Wednesday before heading down to Charlotte on Saturday. Wednesday is a big night. The Hounds could leave the Isle with the Old Guard Shield, the Keystone Cup, and a playoff spot. Clear your evening and get in front of a tv. You’re not going to want to miss the show.

#UNLEASH