The cliché, “defense wins championships,” is one of the more overused phrases in sports, and there is no scientific evidence to prove a formidable defense leads to titles, but if validity is needed beyond a hypothesis, one can look to the 2025 version of the Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC. The Hounds, who scored 33 goals in 34 matches, but only conceded 28, including zero in four postseason matches, provided evidence that defense at least plays a big part in winning a championship, which played out Saturday afternoon in the USL Championship Final at ONEOK Field in Tulsa, Okla. Pittsburgh and FC Tulsa played 120 minutes without scoring a goal, but the Hounds captured their first league title in the team’s 26-year history with a 5-3 edge in penalties. Pittsburgh keeper Eric Dick was named Most Valuable Player of the championship match after making five saves, including a stop on Tulsa’s Stefan Lukic in the shootout for his 16th clean sheet of the season. He has 30 shutouts as a member of the Hounds. Both marks are team records. “First off, all glory to God,” said Dick. “We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. I’m honored to be MVP, but the guys did the work. This is a team MVP. Our fans made an 18-hour bus ride to be here, and they never stopped being loud the entire game. “My parents came here, and we had so many people who built this. (Team owner) Tuffy (Shallenberger) built the Pittsburgh Riverhounds into what it is, and what it will become. Without my guys, we aren’t celebrating now.” Bertin Jacquesson, Robbie Mertz, Chase Boone, Sean Suber and Beto Ydrach converted on their penalties for Pittsburgh, who became the first team in USL Championship history to earn the championship without allowing a goal in the playoffs. The Hounds ended their season on a streak of 623 minutes without allowing a goal, which dated back to the regular season. “This group has fought tooth-and-nail all year long,” Dick said. “They battled for 120 minutes again, stepped up and made PKs. They (Tulsa) have so much talent there and deserve to be here. There was a reason they were No. 1 in the West.” Dick dove to his left and went down to stop Lukic, which left Pittsburgh with a 2-1 edge in PKs heading into the third shooter. The Hounds keeper downplayed his save on Lukic. “The pressure is always on the kicker with PKs,” Dick said. “I was lucky enough to choose the right way, and that’s where he went. I felt like we had a good shot if I made one save. I give credit to my guys, though, for making their PKs.” Boone entered the match for Charles Ahl in the 89th minute, and due to Augi Williams being removed for Jacquesson in the 106th minute, Boone stepped to the line. Boone tucked his shot just under the crossbar to the left of the cage for a 3-1 advantage in PKs. Williams led Pittsburgh in goals this season with nine, but the match had taken its toll on him, which prompted Hounds acting head coach Rob Vincent to bring in Jacquesson. “Augi was starting to tire, so we just tried to freshen things up,” Vincent said. “Chase is good at penalties. He strikes the ball well and he stepped up today. The plan is not to go to PKs, but there is a real toughness about this team, and we are all in this together. If someone misses a PK, we are going to have your back.” The teams traded goals twice before Ydrach blasted his shot to the middle and beat Tyler Deric, who had guessed correctly on the previous four attempts, but didn’t on Ydrach, who sprinted, with the rest of his squad, to the “Steel Army” to celebrate the long-awaited championship. “Everybody chipped in tonight, but Eric Dick was massive,” Vincent said. “We have needed him all the way through.” Vincent took over as interim head coach on Oct. 10 after Bob Lilley was placed on administrative leave, and the former Riverhounds star guided the team to a record of 6-0-1. Pittsburgh was in contention for a playoff spot when Vincent stepped on the pitch the day after he was promoted to face Indy at Highmark Stadium, but a home match was unlikely. The Hounds won against Indy (2-1) before blanking Monterey Bay (3-0) and playing Phoenix to a scoreless draw to earn the No. 4 seed in the USL Championship Eastern Conference playoffs. Pittsburgh won in penalties over Hartford (4-2) and Detroit (4-3) after playing 120 minutes without a goal, and edged Rhode Island, 1-0, to win the conference championship on its home field. “I don’t think so,” said Vincent when asked if winning a championship was on the Bingo card six weeks ago. “A lot has happened in the last six weeks. I am in a little bit of disbelief right now, but I am really happy and excited for everybody associated with this organization.” Although neither team scored, the play in regulation and extra time produced plenty of opportunities, as Tulsa had a 17-6 advantage in shots. The Hounds’ Luke Biasi nearly got his team on the scoreboard in the early stages of the first half, but his right-footed shot struck the crossbar from 30 yards away. Ahl sent Williams toward the goal on the right with a long ball, but Deric dove for his lone save of the match in the 22nd minute. Dick kept the match scoreless in the 40th minute when he tipped Kalil ElMedkhar’s header from close range over the bar. Captain Danny Griffin played the ball back into the box with an overhead kick a minute before halftime, but Williams’ shot went wide across the goal. Tulsa came out flying in the second half, as its forward pressure created havoc for Pittsburgh. The home team had an opportunity in the 59th minute following a Hounds turnover, but Griffin made a late slide to stop ElMedkhar from feeding a chance to Taylor Calheira in front. Suber, Griffin and Sample combined to slide in for a block that popped the ball up in the air for Dick to corral in the 74th minute. “They pressed us and made things difficult,” Vincent said. “We had to defend for a large part, but I thought we defended well.”.
https://www.heraldstandard.com/sports/local-sports/2025/nov/23/defense-wins-championships-5/
Defense wins championships
