Orange County SC defeated Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC 1-0 on Wednesday, August 16 at Championship Stadium in Irvine, CA. OCSC forward Milan Iloski scored his 11th goal of the season moving him into a tie for fifth place in 2023 USL Championship Golden Boot Race. It is OCSC’s fifth victory in a row and ninth win in their last 11 matches.
The visitors had the first chance of the night in the 10th minute as defender Daniel Rovira found defender Arturo Ordoñez in the center of the box. His header towards the bottom left corner of the net was saved by OCSC goalkeeper Colin Shutler.
Pittsburgh had another chance in the 23rd minute as midfielder Marc Ybarra found forward Albert Dikwa in the center of the box. Dikwa took a couple touches to his right and fired a shot that deflected off a defender, but was still saved by Shutler.
Orange County SC countered back with a chance of their own in the 29th minute as midfielder Ashish Chattha crossed a ball to forward Thomas Amang. Amang headed the cross towards the bottom right corner of the net that was saved acrobatically by Pittsburgh goalkeeper Jahmali Waite.
The Black and Orange broke through in the 40th minute, as defender Owen Lambe found forward Milan Iloski with a through ball. Iloski dribbled past a defender and fired into the bottom right corner of the net, giving OCSC a 1-0 lead heading into the break.
Pittsburgh had the first chance of the second half in the 49th minute as Ybarra found himself just outside the box, but his effort sailed just over the bar to the right.
The Riverhounds continued to apply pressure desperate for a tying goal in the 69th minute, as Rovira found their star forward Dikwa in the center of the box. His shot trailed wide and to the left.
OCSC had their first real chance of the second half in the 85th minute as a corner kick from Lambe deflected out to substitute midfielder Seth Casiple. Casiple hit a rocket on the volley with his right foot that went just over the crossbar.
Pittsburgh had one final opportunity in the 90th minute as Ybarra struck one from distance outside the box that was saved by Shutler, his third save of the night securing the 1-0 victory for the Black and Orange.
Orange County SC came into the match expecting a physical battle, but trusted that they had what it took to come away with all three points. After all, it is their fifth win in a row.
“I think first and foremost our defensive performance, we were challenged on crosses and with their physicality,” OCSC head coach Morten Karlsen said. “Of course, we have a very good striker in Milan Iloski, who put in the decisive goal. It gives us a sense of confidence and even more belief to look forward to Saturday.”
OCSC will host another match at The Champ this Saturday, August 19 at 7pm vs. Charleston Battery for our End of Summer Beer Fest. Our General Admission section has already sold out, but there are still sections with seats available! Grab your tickets here today!
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
Forward Milan Iloski scored his 11th goal of the season tonight for OCSC.
Goalkeeper Colin Shutler recorded his seventh clean sheet of the season tonight.
Midfielder Kevin Lankford made his first start of the 2023 USL Championship season tonight.
Defender Andrew Fox made his 100th USL Championship appearance.
Forward Cameron Dunbar made his OCSC debut tonight.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| PRFC | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| OCSC | 1 | 0 | 1 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
40’ Milan Iloski (OCSC)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
63’ Kevin Partida
71’ Bryce Jamison
79’ Brent Richards
PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC
14’ Joseph Farrell
76’ Marc Ybarra
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Colin Shutler (GK); Ryan Doghman (Andrew Fox 45’), Owen Lambe, Markus Nakkim (C), Dillon Powers; Ashish Chattha (Brent Richards 72’), Kevin Lankford (Bryce Jamison 45’), Kyle Scott (Seth Casiple 59’), Kevin Partida; Milan Iloski, Thomas Amang (Cameron Dunbar 81’)
Unused subs: Juan Santana (GK), Brian Iloski
Head Coach: Morten Karlsen
Possession: 49% | Shots: 6 | Shots On Goal: 2 | Corners: 4 | Fouls: 12 | Offsides: 3 |
PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC LINEUP:
Jahmali Waite (GK); Arturo Ordoñez, Nathan Dossantos, Joseph Farrell (Robbie Mertz 45’), Daniel Rovira (Edward Kizza, 70’); Brunallergene Etou (Trevor Zwetsloot 79’) Marc Ybarra, Kenardo Forbes (C) (Luke Biasi 79’), Daniel Griffin; Albert Dikwa, Tola Showunmi (Juan Carlos Obregón Jr 70’)
Unused subs: Christian Garner (GK), Pat Hogan
Head Coach: Bob Lilley
Possession: 51% | Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 3 | Corners: 4 | Fouls: 9 | Offsides: 1 |
Orange County SC vs. Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
2023 USL Championship | Matchday 25
Date: August 16, 2023
Venue: Championship Stadium (Irvine, CA)
Weather: Ain’t nothin pretend about that…