Hartford Athletic’s power outage continued on Saturday night, as they were held scoreless for the fifth consecutive game in all competitions, with their USL Cup fixture against local rivals RIFC finishing nil-nil in regulation. The rules of the competition prescribe an immediate penalty shootout, which Hartford proceded to lose 4-3, leaving them without a win of any kind in any competition in over a month.

It was a cold, rainy night, and the opening stages of the game were equally drab, with neither team really doing much to threaten through the opening 20 minutes. The first real chance for either side fell to Hartford, with Britton Fischer forcing RIFC keeper Koke Vegas to make an acrobatic save in the 23rd minute.

Through half an hour, Hartford had maybe just been on top of  the game, but there was truthfully not much in it, and the visitors nearly got on the board with their first clear look at  goal in the 35th minute. A defensive  breakdown allowed Clay Holstad a clear look at goal from just inside the box, and Antony Siaha had to get down sharply to deny the opportunity.

Just a few moments later, Hartford thought it had perhaps won a penalty, when Michee Ngalina was brought down in the box after a beautiful through ball from Adewale Obalola had played him in. Referee Muhammad Kaleia judged that the RIFC defender had got the ball first, but it was one of several decisions that Brendan Burke questioned after the game, with the Hartford manager suggesting that the match official “might have to go back to USL 2 and practice.”

RIFC did start to tilt the field in their favor as the half wound down, and when the teams went down the tunnel for the break, the visitors were probably just about on top of the game, although it was all still to be played for.

The second half started even more drably than the first, with neither team being credited with a shot through the opening 10 minutes. This perhaps inspired both managers to make substitutions just before the hour mark. For Hartford it was to bring on Samuel Careaga and Barry Coffey, which was easy to take as a sign of Burke’s desire to break the scoreless stretch and settle the game in regulation. 

However, it was RIFC’s substitutions that really seemed to impact the game more directly, as they continued to ratchet up the pressure, ultimately ousthooting Hartford 20-7 on the night. It’s perhaps not surprising that this was the case, as RIFC’s substitutions were to bring on players who are part of a team that has been firing on all cylinders of late, while Hartford’s substitutions – including Matt Real – were of players who are still working their way back to full fitness.

Perhaps the most notable incident of the second half was that Siaha continues to establish himself as the main character of the rivalry. After a dangerous long ball that Siaha was able to claim, RIFC forward JJ Williams tried to crowd the Hartford keeper, with the result being that Siaha gave Williams a clear shoulder that left him down and needing treatment. RIFC players clamored for a booking, but none was forthcoming, and play continued.

There were late chances for both teams to settle it in regulation. In the 84th minute, JJ Williams was somehow left unmarked at the back post, but he could only screw his effort wide from a very dangerous position. And with time running down, Hartford had a free kick in an extremely dangerous position, but despite Koke Vegas spilling Careaga’s free kick into a dangerous area, no one was able to sieze the opportunity and the whistle blew on regulation.

Also in stoppage time, Sadat Anaku was sent off for a second yellow card picked up in quick succession – a call Brendan Burke deemed “soft’ – depriving Hartford of one of its presumptive penalty takers in the upcoming shootout.

In that shootout, each side converted three of their first four chances, leaving things very finely poised. When Samuel Careaga skied Hartford’s fifth attempt, however, it opened the door for RIFC to take the bonus point, and Karifa Yao made no mistake, firing past Siaha to send the traveling RIFC supporters home happy.

The result leaves Hartford with one point in Group Five, sitting fifth of six teams in a group that is now lead by Brooklyn FC, who beat NY Cosmos 3-0 earlier in the day. There’s a long way to go, but Hartford now very much have its work cut out for them if they want to advance to the knockout stages. And the first thing they’re going to need to do is find some goals.