(April 13, 2024) — The Pittsburgh Riverhounds crossed paths with Rhode Island FC for the first time ever, and their initial visit to the newest USL Championship team finished as a 0-0 draw Saturday night at Beirne Stadium in Smithfield, R.I.

The match pitted the Hounds (0-3-2) against former striker Albert Dikwa, last year’s Championship Player of the Year, but it was the goalkeepers who had the best outcomes on the day. Eric Dick made three saves as the Hounds recorded their second straight shutout, while Rhode Island (0-1-4) goalkeeper Jackson Lee also had three stops, including two in a critical late flurry.

First half

Shots on target were tough to come by in the early stages until Langston Blackstock tried a left-footed attempt in the 21st minute that didn’t have enough pace to challenge Lee. Three minutes later, Luke Biasi was well-positioned to block a chance by Rhode Island’s Noah Fuson, and Dick made his first save by stopping a curling attempt on the rebound by Marc Ybarra, another former Hound.

Mark Doyle had one late chance in stoppage time after the ball ricocheted off Hounds defenders, but his off-balance stab at the ball went into the hands of Dick.

Second half

The intensity picked up in the second half, which saw eight yellow cards issued after none in the first half. Emmanuel Johnson entered as a halftime substitute, and he was involved early and often, beginning with a tricky cross that Rhode Island struggled to deal with minutes after the break.

The best chance of the night came in the 77th minute, as the Hounds made a sweeping move with numbers down the left side. Babacar Diene received the ball in the box and smartly cut a pass back to the front of goal, where Edward Kizza’s close-range effort was stopped by Lee. The rebound fell to Johnson, who struck the follow-up with power, but Lee recovered across goal to tip the ball over the bar and deny the Hounds with a highlight-reel save.

Dikwa had his most dangerous chance getting behind the Hounds in the 80th minute, but Dick was fast to advance off his line and deny the striker any angle to hit the goal from the left side.

The Hounds nearly had a golden chance deep into stoppage time as Johnson took a touch blowing past the defense after a turnover. Collin Smith opted to haul Johnson down with a two-armed tackle, and the Rhode Island defender’s gamble paid off by stopping the chance and earning only a yellow card for the last-man foul.

Modelo Man of the Match

Edward Kizza put on an excellent display of hold-up play as a forward for the full 90 minutes, connecting on 81.8 percent of his passes and winning possession five times. He also won a whopping seven free kicks; he was fouled more than double any other player on the pitch.

What’s next?

The Hounds will have a late-night tilt next Saturday, when they go on the road to face Phoenix Rising FC (1-3-1) in a 10:30 p.m. kickoff April 20. The defending USL Championship winners also play later tonight at home against Colorado Springs.

Riverhounds SC lineup (5-3-2) — Eric Dick; Junior Etou (Sean Suber 90’), Luke Biasi, Pat Hogan, Illal Osumanu, Langston Blackstock (Dani Rovira 75’); Kenardo Forbes (Bradley Sample 75’), Danny Griffin, Robbie Mertz (Babacar Diene 75’); Edward Kizza, Kazaiah Sterling (Emmanuel Johnson 46’)

Rhode Island FC lineup (4-5-1) — Jackson Lee; Gabriel Alves, Frank Nodarse, Clay Holstad, Jojea Kwizera (Karifa Yao 65’); Marc Ybarra, Joe Brito (Nathan Messer 79’), Mark Doyle (Prince Saydee 65’), Stephen Turnbull (Collin Smith 65’), Noah Fuson; Albert Dikwa

Scoring summary

None

Discipline summary

RI — Clay Holstad 50’ (caution – tactical foul)
PIT — Illal Osumanu 62’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Langston Blackstock 68’ (caution – tactical foul)
PIT — Luke Biasi 88’ (caution – reckless foul)
PIT — Babacar Diene 90+2’ (caution – reckless foul)
RI — Head coach Khano Smith 90+4’ (caution – dissent)
PIT — Emmanuel Johnson 90+4’ (caution – unsporting behavior)
RI — Collin Smith 90+8’ (caution – tactical foul)