A week earlier, Bob Lilley didn't exactly hide his displeasure with the Riverhounds' performance in putting away a pretty bad USL side.
Friday night in Ottawa, his disposition was a whole lot more pleasant.
Steevan Dos Santos scored for a second consecutive match, assisted on two goals by Neco Brett and put fourth four shots in a 4-0 shutout of Ottawa Fury FC at TD Place Stadium, including the opening strike in the second minute. Sammy Kahsai scored his first professional goal in the second half from near the midfield stripe, and Kyle Morton made two saves for his seventh clean sheet.
Ottawa maintained 57.9 percent of the possession, but the Hounds held a 14-8 edge in shots attempted, and that being more authoritative on the finish had been Lilley's focus after a 1-0 victory over Loudoun United FC in the previous match Aug. 23 at Highmark Stadium, one that had left him furious.
"I think we had a good game plan," Lilley said after this one. "We had a great team effort. Ottawa's always on the verge of something, so it was nice to get a couple goals and have a little bit of breathing room. I felt we showed a lot of discipline to stick with the game plan. I think it was a mature performance for us and came at a good time."
Against a good opponent, too. The Hounds, winners of seven of the past eight, are 13-4-8, tied for fourth in the USL's 18-team Eastern Conference. The top 10 teams qualify for playoffs, and Ottawa probably will be one of those, now 10-5-9 for eighth.
Here are all the goals:
Highlights from tonight's match. #OTTvPIT pic.twitter.com/jTaaSVijQD
— Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC (@RiverhoundsSC) August 31, 2019
Next up for the Hounds is Louisville City FC, the USL's two-time defending champion, now 12-7-7, next Saturday at Highmark Stadium.
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