With the final spot in USL PRO playoffs on the line, the Wilmington Hammerheads were anything but short of goals Wednesday night as they took a 4-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Riverhounds at Legion Stadium. After equalizing prior to halftime, the Hammerheads tallied three scores in the final 15 minutes to ensure the victory and keep their playoff hopes alive.
Pittsburgh put pressure on Wilmington in the 13th minute after forward Jose Angulo scored the first goal of the night off an assist by Richard Costanzo. The Hammerheads leveled the match in the 32nd minute off a high cross from Shawn Nicklaw into the penalty area that Kyle Greig headed into the top corner of the net.
Wilmington’s Mickael Oliveira carried over the intensity from the first half into the first five minutes following halftime with a long shot over the crossbar. It was the 76th minute, however, that the Hammerheads took their first lead of the night when Steven Perry recorded his first goal of the year.
Shortly thereafter, Bryce Taylor notched his first goal of the regular season off an assist by Gareth Evans and Perry returned the favor to Arnoux after playing a small cross into the front of the net for Arnoux to put his finish past Pittsburgh goalkeeper Gregory Blum.
The Hammerheads will host Antigua Barracuda FC for their final match of the USL PRO regular season on Saturday, Aug. 17, at 7:30 p.m. Legion Stadium will also be the venue of a double-header on Saturday as the UNCW Men’s Soccer team will play Longwood University at 5 p.m. prior to the Hammerheads taking the field.
For Wilmington to get into the playoffs, the local soccer club must take a victory against Antigua and get a little help from Harrisburg, which needs to beat or tie Dayton on the final day of the regular season.
