Just as it appeared Portland had secured its eighth point in four matches, Corpus Christi FC – which was still searching for its first USL League One victory – had other plans as it secured a 3-2 win over Portland
The opening 45 minutes were a physical affair with neither side generating many quality chances. Corpus Christi threatened early through Blake Bowen, while Portland looked dangerous from distance with efforts from Ollie Wright and Jay Tee Kamara. As halftime approached, Portland began to build momentum, earning five corner kicks in the final five minutes before the break.
That pressure finally produced a breakthrough in first-half stoppage time. Following another Portland corner, Josh Drack's attempt from the left side of the box was blocked by Jack Keaney, but the rebound fell to Brecc Evans. The defender's touch through traffic lofted the ball into the upper-right corner beyond a frozen James Talbot, giving Hearts of Pine a 1-0 lead heading into the locker room.
Coming out of the half, Corpus Christi responded quickly. Five minutes into the second half, Nacho Abeal forced Hunter Morse into a save from distance before the Sharks found their equalizer in the 52nd minute. Abeal left the ball for Bowen, whose right-footed strike from 20 yards found its way past Morse to level the match at 1-1.
The hosts continued to push forward, but Morse came up with a series of key saves to keep the match level. Former Hearts forward Jake Keegan nearly gave Corpus Christi the lead in the 72nd minute when he broke free down the left side, but Morse sprawled to his left to make the stop before Portland cleared the danger. Four minutes later, the Hearts goalkeeper was called into action again, diving low to his right to deny another dangerous effort from Abeal.
Despite controlling possession for much of the match, Portland struggled to create consistent chances in the final third. Portland finally found a breakthrough in the 85th minute when Ollie Wright drove into the penalty area and picked out Jay Tee Kamara, who beat James Talbot with a left-footed finish to put Hearts ahead 2-1 in the match's 85th minute.
Corpus Christi thought it had found an equalizer in the opening minute of stoppage time when Keaney headed a free kick from near midfield into the net, but the assistant referee's flag was already raised for offside.
The reprieve for Portland only proved to be temporary.
In the fifth minute of added time, Corpus Christi earned a corner kick. Morse appeared to have Bowen's delivery secured, but the ball slipped through his hands and crossed the goal line for an own goal, bringing the Sharks level at 2-2.
Before Portland could regroup, Corpus Christi earned another corner less than two minutes later. Bowen's delivery found the back post where Sam Roscoe-Byrne rose above the crowd and headed home from point-blank range.
What appeared destined to be another valuable road result quickly unraveled as Corpus Christi scored twice in second-half stoppage time, turning a Portland lead into a 3-2 defeat.
Hearts will have little time to dwell on the result as they head to Brooklyn for their third match of the USL Prinx Cup group stage. Portland currently sits tied with Hartford Athletic atop the group standings, and with the two clubs not scheduled to meet, three points from the match against Brooklyn FC would keep Portland firmly in contention to win the group.
