Dane Kelly’s debut with the Pittsburgh Riverhounds couldn’t have gone much better.
Kelly, the USL Championship’s all-time leading scorer who signed with the Riverhounds in January, became the first player in league history to score 100 career goals in a 3-0 season-opening victory over Memphis 901 FC on Saturday night.
Russell Cicerone and Albert Dikwa also scored and goalkeeper Chase Vosvick, a rookie out of Loyola (Md.), earned a shutout in his Riverhounds debut.
Vosvick earned the clean sheet too, stopping Phillip Goodrum on a penalty kick in the 30th minute.
Kelly’s goal gave the Riverhounds the lead for good in stoppage time at the end of the first half. Alex Dixon settled a bouncing ball and sent a pass through to Kelly on the left side of the box. He buried a shot inside the left post.
The Riverhounds padded their lead in the second half.
In the 64th minute, Kelly headed a Kenardo Forbes corner kick to the back post, where Russell Cicerone knocked it into the net. In the 76th minute, Alex Dixon motored up the right wing and sent a cross to Albert Dikwa in the center of the box. He settled the pass, turned and fired to make it 3-0.
Memphis played much of the match a man down after Graham Smith received his second yellow card in the 34th minute.
The Riverhounds will return to Highmark Stadium to face Hartford Athletic in their home opener at 7 p.m. next Saturday.
