Portland Hearts of Pine’s second round match in group play of the USL Cup against Rhode Island FC bore a striking resemblance to last week’s 2-2 draw against Union Omaha. For the second straight match, Portland spent long stretches without possession, absorbing wave after wave of attacking pressure while relying on their defense and a standout performance from goalkeeper Hunter Morse to hold on to an early 2-0 lead. This time, however, the Hearts were able to earn a 2-1 “cupset” victory over their New England rival. 

Facing a Championship side that entered the afternoon level with Portland on one point in Group 5 play, the Hearts wasted little time making their intentions known. Just three minutes into the match, Ollie Wright’s vision and creativity unlocked the Rhode Island back line. From just outside the left edge of the 18-yard box, Wright delivered a perfectly placed ball over Titus Washington who drew the defensive attention and found Matteo Kidd charging into the middle. Kidd slid onto the pass and tucked his finish past a frozen Koke Vegas for his first goal with Portland and an immediate 1-0 advantage. 

Rhode Island quickly settled into possession following the early setback and began forcing Portland deeper into its own half. The visitors nearly found an equalizer in the 13th minute after a Noah Fuson corner kick pinballed through the box before falling to Aldair Sanchez. Morse made the initial sprawling stop near the post and scrambled back to his feet to smother the rebound opportunity and preserve the lead. 

While Rhode Island controlled much of the possession through the opening half, Portland remained dangerous in transition. Hearts nearly doubled their lead in the 21st minute when Wright again sliced through the Rhode Island defense with a pass ahead to Titus Washington. Washington managed to draw Vegas off his line, but his lifted attempt at the far post went just wide. 

Portland’s second goal came just minutes later following another quick transition opportunity. Diogo Barbosa stepped into a passing lane at midfield and immediately pushed the ball ahead to Walter Varela. Varela returned the pass into the box where Barbosa was taken down by Zach Herivaux, earning the Hearts a penalty in the 24th minute. Ollie Wright took the attempt for Portland and calmly buried his attempt into the lower left corner while Vegas guessed the opposite direction, extending the Portland lead to 2-0 in the 27th minute and sending Fort Fitzy into a frenzy. 

Rhode Island continued to press throughout the remainder of the half and nearly answered in stoppage time when a headed pass found Jojea Kwizera making a run into the middle of the box, but Morse once again came through with a diving save to send Portland into the locker room with the two-goal cushion intact. 

Looking to add some life into the lineup, Rhode Island manager Khano Smith made a trio of substitutions to open the second half, bringing on Hugo Bacharach, Karifa Yao, and Logan Dorsey. The changes immediately energized the visitors, who began getting more pressure on the Portland keeper, Morse.  

Rhode Island nearly cut the deficit in half in the 57th minute when a Jojea Kwizera free kick found JJ Williams unmarked near the back post, but Morse punched the dangerous attempt away to keep the Hearts in front. The visitors’ persistence on set pieces finally paid off four minutes later when their ninth corner kick of the afternoon found the head of Logan Dorsey at the back post. Dorsey redirected the cross from Amos Shapiro-Thompson home before Morse could recover, trimming the Portland lead to 2-1 in the 61st minute. 

The visitors nearly found the equalizer minutes later after JJ Williams led a dangerous rush into the attacking third before delivering a cross toward Dorsey in front of goal. Morse came off his line to challenge the attempt, briefly leaving the far side exposed, but Kemali Green recovered in time to get a foot on the shot and redirect it wide. 

The Portland keeper delivered two more critical stops late in the match, first smothering a Dwayne Atkinson attempt through traffic in the 83rd minute before denying Nick Scardina a minute later with a strong right-handed save while falling to the turf. Portland nearly found an insurance goal in stoppage time when substitute Aboubacar Camara slipped a pass ahead to JayTee Kamara inside the box, but Vegas made the save to keep Rhode Island within striking distance. 

Despite being heavily out-possessed for the second consecutive match, Portland once again showed its ability to suffer through pressure while capitalizing on transition opportunities. Morse finished with seven saves on the afternoon as the Hearts secured their first victory over Rhode Island FC and moved to four points in Group 5 play. 

For Portland head coach Bobby Murphy, the performance represented another sign of growth from a club that has shown increasing resilience over the last week. 

“Today was what we needed,” Murphy said. “We needed a result. We needed to stick together, we needed to suffer, and we needed to come through it. Omaha was a step in that direction and today was another step.” 

The win for Portland sets up a pivotal matchup with Brooklyn FC July 7th that could go a long way toward securing the group for the Hearts. Portland will also resume its League One schedule next Saturday when it welcomes Greenville Triumph SC to Fitzpatrick Stadium.