ORANGE COUNTY SC 1-0 PITTSBURGH RIVERHOUNDS SC
Sep 26, 2026 • Championship Soccer Stadium
ORANGE COUNTY — Orange County SC returned to winning ways Saturday night with a 1-0 victory over Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC, ending a seven-match winless run behind a dramatic 90th-minute goal from Yaniv Bazini.
OCSC entered the match looking to respond after a difficult stretch of results and controlled much of the possession throughout the night. The Black & Orange finished with 55% of the ball, while Kevin Partida returned to the starting lineup and helped provide stability in midfield. Both sides created attacking opportunities, but neither was able to find the breakthrough early.
Orange County produced some of its best first-half chances from set pieces. In the 24th minute, Chris Hegardt delivered a free kick into the Pittsburgh penalty area, where Jaylin Lindsey connected with a header from just outside the six-yard box. His attempt went narrowly wide. Marcelo Palomino came close again in the 40th minute with another free kick from the left side of the penalty area, but his effort went over the crossbar as the teams entered halftime scoreless.
The Black & Orange continued to push forward after the break. Ousmane Sylla created an early second-half opportunity in the 46th minute, finding space inside the Pittsburgh penalty area before seeing his shot blocked by the Riverhounds defense. Pittsburgh remained organized defensively and continued to prevent Orange County from turning its possession into a goal.
As the match approached the final whistle, it appeared the two sides would have to settle for a scoreless draw. Orange County finally found the decisive moment in the 90th minute.
Mataeo Bunbury sent a long free kick from behind midfield into the Pittsburgh penalty area. Riverhounds defender Owen Mikoy attempted to clear the delivery with a header, but the ball instead fell into the path of Bazini. Bazini quickly reacted and struck a volley into the upper corner, catching Pittsburgh goalkeeper Nico Campuzano off his line and giving OCSC a late 1-0 advantage.
Orange County protected the lead through four minutes of stoppage time to secure all three points. Bazini’s winner was his ninth goal of the season, while goalkeeper Alex Rando recorded his seventh clean sheet of the campaign.
The victory improved Orange County to 10-7-9 and kept the club fifth in the Western Conference as it continues its push toward the USL Championship playoffs. Pittsburgh fell to 11-11-5 and is now 1-2-2 in its last five matches.
For Orange County, the result was more than just another three points. After going 0-5-2 across its previous seven matches, OCSC finally ended its winless run with a disciplined defensive performance and a late finish from Bazini that proved to be the difference.
