Steel FC forward Cory Burke scored twice, but Bethlehem fell victim to a late goal Saturday night and lost 3-2 on the road against in-state foe Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Highmark Stadium.  

Pittsburgh’s Kevin Kerr proved too effective for Steel FC as he contributed heavily to the Riverhounds’ offensive gameplan with two assists and a goal. Kerr’s first assist came in the 10th minute when he volleyed a cross into the box and onto the head of forward Corey Hertzog which found its way past keeper Jake McGuire and into the net. Jamal Jack joined the scoring list with a 19th minute goal from the top of the box off a poor clearance attempt by Bethlehem following a Riverhound corner. The ball lingered far too long in the box and Kerr found Jack for the goal.

Steel FC were able to shift gears toward the latter stages of the first half – increasing their pressure on Pittsburgh. The effort proved wise as the speedy Santi Moar was able to draw a penalty kick in the 41st minute. Moar blew by Pittsburgh’s Ritchie Duffie after receiving a great pass down the sideline from Chris Nanco. Cory Burke pounded home the PK attempt. Score remained 2-1 Riverhounds at half.

The second half was eventful as play opened up a bit. Jake McGuire was called on numerous times to make great saves throughout the second half. By the end of the match McGuire tallied a new career high 11 saves.

Perhaps a “Goal of the Week” nominee occurred in the 72nd minute off the left foot of Cory Burke to tie the match briefly at 2-2. Burke flew down the left side of the field to reach Santi Moar’s lead pass and drilled the shot from the 18 yard line. The ball hit the right post and went into the net for an amazing counter attack goal.

Bethlehem could not hold on to the draw for long. In the 75th minute, Pittsburgh’s Kerr aggressively went for a loose ball on McGuire’s goal-line. Kerr was able to muster it past James Chambers who was battling for possession.  

Steel FC failed to truly threaten Pittsburgh for most of the match. The Riverhounds recorded 23 more shots than Bethlehem – the second half shot totals are a clear sign that Bethlehem struggled to manage the Pittsburgh offense. Steel FC only attempted six shots in the second half compared to 19 by Pittsburgh.  

Three Points:

• Maurice Edu made another appearance, starting and playing the entire first half. He looked calm and collected once more on the ball. There was perhaps a bit of miscommunication on the second goal as the whole team froze when attempting to clear a Pittsburgh corner attempt. Edu and Chambers were left staring at one another following Jamal Jack’s goal.
• Jake McGuire recorded a career-high 11 saves tonight. He was needed in the worst of ways tonight as Steel FC faced an enormous amount of offensive pressure from the Riverhounds. McGuire made all the saves required of him.  Second goal should have been cleared.  First and third goals were tough to stop.
• Riverhounds’ Kevin Kerr and Corey Hertzog shredded the Steel FC midfield and backline early on and again late in the second half. The duo looked very effective tonight. Hertzog would probably tell everyone he probably could/should have scored at least three goals tonight.

Lineups:

Bethlehem: Jake McGuire, Aaron Jones, Hugh Roberts, Auston Trusty, Matthew Real, Maurice Edu (Anthony Fontana 46’), James Chambers, Santi Moar (Yosef Samuel 86′), Adam Najem, Chris Nanco (Josh Heard 76′) , Cory Burke Unused Substitutes: Tomas Romero, Matthew Mahoney, Charlie Reymann, Brenden Aaronson

Pittsburgh: Matt Perrella, Taylor Washington, Jamal Jack, Tobi Adewole, Ritchie Duffie (Shannon Gomez 77′), Romeo Parkes, Victor Souto, Stephen Okai, Kevin Kerr, Chevaughn Walsh (Kay Banjo 83′), Corey Hertzog Unused Substitutes: Hunter Gilstrap, Gale Agbossoumonde, Kenroy Howell, Jack Thompson

Scoring Summary:

Pittsburgh             10th minute           Corey Hertzog (Kevin Kerr)

Pittsburgh             19th minute           Chevaughn Walsh (Kevin Kerr)

Bethlehem            41st minute            Cory Burke (PK)

Bethlehem            72nd minute          Cory Burke (Santi Moar)

Pittsburgh            75th minute           Kevin Kerr

Discipline Summary:

Bethlehem         21st minute         Santi Moar

Pittsburgh          33rd minute       Tobi Adewole

Pittsburgh          44th minute        Jamal Jack

Pittsburgh          45th minute       Corey Hertzog

Pittsburgh          45th min.+2       Chevaughn Walsh

Bethlehem          88th min            Matthew Real

Bethlehem          88th min            Anthony Fontana