Portland Fails to Repeat Hartford Cupset, Falls 2-0 on Road

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USL1 Portland Hearts of Pine

Portland Fails to Repeat Hartford Cupset, Falls 2-0 on Road

April 26, 2025 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Portland Hearts of Pine News Release


HARTFORD, Conn. - Sometimes, soccer will break your heart. Sometimes, the odds and the statistics don't count for a thing.

Such was the case on April 2 when USL Championship side Hartford Athletic outshot Portland Hearts of Pine 20-14, had four big chances to Portland's one, and even had a man advantage for the final 25 minutes of the teams' Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup second round match, only to get knocked out of the tournament in stunning fashion by a never-say-die Hearts team in the USL League One newcomers' third-ever outing.

And it was the case again today when Portland traveled south to face Hartford in the opening round of the Jägermeister Cup and enjoyed a 14-10 advantage in shots, a 4-3 advantage in shots on goal, and a man advantage for the final 18 minutes of the match, only to lose 2-0 to a higher division side out for revenge.

That Portland was able to flip the script on Hartford in the rematch and enjoy an edge in possession, shots, and shots on goal, is testimony to a team finding its footing in just its seventh match under head coach Bobby Murphy. However, soccer is famously a sport where one or two key plays can decide the outcome of a game, and in the friendly confines of Trinity Health Stadium, those key plays largely went in Hartford's favor.

Hearts were firing from the opening whistle, and Masashi Wada, Mikey Lopez, and captain Pat Langlois all took shots at the Hartford goal before Athletic had their first attempt of the match. Walter Varela, who seemed to cover every blade of attacking turf in the first half, had two quality looks of his own, including one that forced a diving, desperation save from Gerold Ngnepi.

But it was Hartford who struck first, when, on a fast break in the 41st minute, Samuel Careaga curled a cross around a backtracking Ollie Wright and into the path of Jack Panayotou, who took one touch to put the ball out of the reach of Kemali Green before slotting his shot past Hunter Morse.

Athletic took the goal advantage into halftime, but were almost immediately pinned back after the restart as Kemali Green, Sean Vinberg, and Titus Washington all troubled the Hartford goal inside the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Vinberg's attempt came the closest to tying the match, hitting Thomas Presthus in the back and ballooning goalward out of the reach of Gerold Ngepi. But before Hearts could celebrate, Presthus turned and followed the ball towards the goal, clearing it off the line.

Panayotou stretched Hartford's lead to 2-0 in the 64th minute, when an Emmanuel Samadiya cross was deflected into his path and he chipped a diving Morse.

Six minutes later, though, he was ordered from the field in stunning fashion. Late in the first half, he had been booked for time wasting after kicking the ball away from Wada as the midfielder attempted to restart play with a free kick. In the 72nd minute, the fourth official called Panayotou's number to substitute him out of the match; Panayotou was in no hurry to leave the pitch however, and referee Ricardo Montero Araya showed him a second yellow card for time wasting. The red card meant Panayotou's day was done, and Athletic's intended substitute had to return to the Hartford team bench, leaving the home side shorthanded.

Hearts continued to press and pepper the Athletic goal, starving the hosts of the ball while taking the final five shots of the match.

In the end, however, there was no moment of magic like Jake Keegan's stunner that sent the teams' first encounter to penalties 24 days ago; this time around the final whistle blew, the heavens opened in a downpour, and USL League One's youngest side returned to Maine to prepare for its regular season home opener having come away empty handed after going toe-to-toe with a Championship side.

NEXT UP - On May 4, Portland Hearts of Pine will play their first-ever home USL League One match when they take on One Knoxville SC at Fitzpatrick Stadium. The match will kick off at 6:00 p.m. ET and will air live on NESN and ESPN+.

GOALS

POR - None

HARTFORD - Jack Panayotou 41' (Samuel Careaga), Panayotou 64' (unassisted)

DISCIPLINE

YC - Shandon Wright (POR 29'), Jack Panayotou (HAR 45+1'), Pat Langlois (POR 47'), Joseph Farrell (HAR 68'), Panayotou (HAR 72'), Samuel Careaga (HAR 74'), Gerold Ngnepi (HAR '84), Hartford bench

RC - Jack Panayotou (HAR 72')

STARTING LINEUPS

Portland Hearts of Pine - Hunter Morse, Nathan Messer, Kemali Green, Sean Vinberg, Shandon Wright (Colby Quiñones 46'), Pat Langlois ©, Masashi Wada (Natty James 80'), Mikey Lopez (Michel Poon-Angeron 61'), Ollie Wright (Mickey Reilly 89'), Titus Washington, Walter Varela (Azaad Liadi 61') Unused substitutes: Kash Oladapo, Samuel Mahlamäki Camacho

Hartford Athletic - Gerold Ngepi ©, Emmanuel Samadiya, Jordan Scarlett, Joseph Farrell, Sebastian Anderson, Beverly Makangila, Adrian Diz Pe (Thomas Presthus 46'), Adewale Obalola (Michee Ngalina 63'), Samuel Careaga (Junior Moreira 75'), Jack Panayotou, Mamadou Dieng (Kyle Edwards 90') Unused substitutes: Justin DiCarlo, Justin Ingram, Deshane Beckford, Jonathan Jimenez, Kauan Ribero

Check out the Portland Hearts of Pine Statistics

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