LEWISTON — After winning their first-ever game two weeks ago in the U.S. Open Cup, the Portland Hearts of Pine somehow found a way to top that success in the second round — at least in the drama category.
Portland, in its debut season as a member of USL League One, made a late comeback Wednesday night to defeat USL Championship side Hartford Athletic in penalty kicks, after the teams played to a 1-1 draw through regulation and overtime in front of 3,002 fans at crisp Don Roux Field on the Lewiston High campus.
Hartford scored less than two minutes into the second 15-minute overtime on a header by Jordan Scarlett off a corner kick. Portland was playing with only 10 men after its top scoring threat, Azaad Liadi, picked up two yellow cards in quick succession about seven minutes into the first overtime.
Down a goal and with plenty of tired legs, Portland inserted its elder statesman, 34-year-old Jake Keegan, who entered the season third all-time in USL League One goals with 30.
With just a few minutes remaining in the second overtime and light snow beginning to fall, Evan Southern, another reserve, saw Keegan moving to space past the center stripe.
“I knew if the ball was perfectly weighted and he could get on the end of it, if he got the first touch, he was going to put it in the back of the net,” Southern said.
Keegan anticipated Southern’s pass and reached it ahead of two defenders and onrushing Hartford goalie Antony Siaha with just enough time to chip a shot over Siaha’s head that traveled about 40 yards and bounced into the net for the tying goal.
“He’s got a nose for it. He’s experienced. There’s no way Jake should be able to outrun those two center backs, you know what I mean?” Murphy said. “But he’s on the move and sees it happening, so where others who are still learning are maybe waiting, he’s already reacting.”
In penalty kicks, Portland made four straight, with Southern clinching the win after Patrick Langlois, Keegan and Evan Messer scored cleanly.
Hartford made its first two penalty kicks before Portland goalie Hunter Morse (10 saves) went low to his left to snag a shot by Sebastian Anderson.
“You just try to read their body language and their eyes and hands before they shoot,” Morse said. “I saw (Anderson) look to my right twice before he lined up. Why are you going to shoot where you’re looking? I guessed he’d go the other way.”
Hartford’s fourth shooter, Michee Ngalina, fired high over the net, setting up Southern for his winning kick. Southern, a professional rookie, said before the penalty kick session that Murphy had asked, “Do you want one, and I responded, ‘Yeah. I want to put one in the back of the net and move on to the next round.”
The Open Cup, in its 110th year, pits amateur and lower level pro teams in the early rounds against higher level pro teams who enter as the tournament progresses. In the third round, played April 15-16, the top 16 teams from the 2024 USL Championship season will enter the tournament. Each of the 16 second-round winners will play one of those top USL Championship teams. Portland will find out its third-round opponent on Thursday. Another game in Lewiston is a possibility if Hearts of Pine are drawn as the home team, said club president Kevin Schohl.
Wednesday’s game was a mostly equal test, with Hartford having a slim 7-6 shot advantage at halftime, which increased to 17-11 by the end of regulation. Both teams had some sterling chances. Hartford was most dangerous off set pieces, consistently able to get the first head on the ball, especially on corner kicks. At the other end, Siaha had to make a diving save on an Ollie Wright shot and then quickly right himself to stop a rebound bid from Liadi in the 63rd minute.
This story was updated Thursday, 8:37 a.m., to remove an incorrect reference to the number of career USL League One goals scored by Jake Keegan.
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