Portland Hearts of Pine Battle Back to Draw Home Opener at Fitzpatrick Stadium

“We wanted to give everybody three points."

Photo Courtesy of Portland Hearts of Pine/Luke Stergiou

After giving up an early goal, Portland Hearts of Pine was able to battle back against One Knoxville.

Hunter Morse started in net behind the back line of Nathan Messer, Sean Vinberg, Kemali Green, and Mikey Lopez. Patrick Langlois and Michel Poon-Angeron were in the midfield while Walter Varela and Ollie Wright were on the wings. Azaad Liadi was the lone striker up top, and Masashi Wada was playing as an attacking midfielder.

The Portland soccer community came out in full force with Fitzpatrick Stadium packed with fans cheering their hearts out. The Dirigo Union was jumping up and down, not just to stay warm but due to the excitement of seeing their team play a league match at home.

Unfortunately for the Hearts the match got off to the worst possible start, two minutes in Stuart Ritchie found the back of the net. The shot was deflected but Morse will be wishing he could have gotten in front of the shot to keep the game level.

While not what the Hearts desired, it certainly woke up Bobby Murphy’s squad. After the goal, Portland was on the front foot, constantly causing turnovers and gathering possession.

Liadi almost tied the match in the 16th minute when he headed a Messer corner but One Knoxville goalkeeper Sean Lewis made a spectacular save. The outside back was a constant threat on the flank, pairing well with Wright.

Portland controlled possession in the first 45 minutes as the Hearts maintained the ball for 57 percent of the first half.

Eventually in first half stoppage time, a failed Knoxville clearance saw the ball fall to Wright’s feet in the final third. The forward immediately launched a cross that resulted in a glancing header from Liadi that failed to go goalward but the ball deflected into the path of Wada who got his foot on the ball and rocketed it into the net.

The sold out Fitzpatrick Stadium crowd of 5,784 roared in elation, as Portland was back in the game and had scored the first goal in club history in Portland. Murphy complimented Wada’s ability to perform in big moments after the match.

“It’s a big night, and he looked like someone who’d been in a big night before,” the head coach said. “He took the game by the scruff of the neck and led by example and brought everyone kicking and screaming back into the game with him. I think we’re only scratching the surface with him. The more comfortable he gets, the better and better he will get.”

In the second half, Portland continued to push for a goal. Having scored just before heading into the locker room, momentum had shifted and the Hearts knew three points were there for the taking.

In the 58th minute Varela came off for Jake Keegan with Murphy opting to get another striker on the field. Another striker was added to the mix in the 82nd minute with Titus Washington replacing Wright.

Portland had numerous chances but the best came off the boot of Liadi. The striker was a constant threat up top and is a No. 9 that fans should love. He loves to be physical and exhibited some quality hold-up play.

In the 88th minute, he sent a scissor-kick towards the far post but the ball curled just over the crossbar. If it had found the back of the net, it would have been one of the most skilled and beautiful goals that fans had ever seen.

“We wanted to give everybody three points,” Murphy said when asked about his aggressive subs. “We tried to get Azaad out wide, thinking his pace might lead to something which it did. He had a great chance there at the end. When you're a center back and you've been chasing Azaad around for 80 minutes and you see Titus, come on like that's the last thing you want to see. As a young player, Titus deserves a lot of credit, because it's not easy to come into a game.”

Next up for the Hearts is a trip to Omaha but Sunday night in Portland will be a night that remains in the minds, of players, coaches, staff members, and fans for quite some time.