Portland Hearts Of Pine Finding New Ways To Win As Playoffs Loom

“To get a result like we did today shows that we can win a couple of different ways."

Photo Courtesy of Portland Hearts of Pine

Portland Hearts of Pine collected a 1-0 win over Texoma FC on Saturday night to extend their unbeaten run to eight, a positive result considering the first-year club didn’t play their best soccer.

Masashi Wada’s long-range chip in the 13th minute was the only shot that bothered the Texoma goalkeeper during the first half, a sign that the opening stanza was a cagey affair.

“We had nine shots in the first half, but it didn’t feel like that,” head coach Bobby Murphy said. “I think they came in here wanting to slow things down, and we can’t fall into that trap.”

Things got better for Hearts, especially after Walter Varela and Natty James came into the game.

In the 67th minute, Varela picked up the ball and found Ollie Wright, who forced a save. James earned a secondary assist on Nathan Messer’s game-winning goal in the 75th minute.

“I thought [James] was fantastic tonight,” Murphy said. “He showed even on the goal, the maturity. I think Natty of a couple months ago probably would have tried to shoot from 30 yards. Instead, he kept it ticking over and led to the goal, and he pressed hard.”

Hearts only had to deal with a 20-yard attempt—which Hunter Morse handled easily—en route to collecting their sixth shutout of the season. The visitors managed just two shots on target during 90 minutes.

“I think that shows that we’re growing,” Murphy said. “It never felt wobbly, right? There have been moments this year we’ve been up, and it’s felt [uncertain]. It felt pretty comfortable tonight, so I think the players deserve a lot of credit for that.”

Hearts have now collected 1-0 wins in two straight games, a scoreline they achieved only once before.

They have outscored their opponents 18 to 9 since their last loss on August 2nd.

“To get a result like we did today shows that we can win a couple of different ways,” Murphy said.

Hearts are fifth in the table, three points below Spokane Velocity with a game in hand. They have six games left before the playoffs.

While Saturday wasn’t their best performance, Messer noted that “finding ways to win is most important to us.”

“I think we have to take stock in that we were able to grind and get a result against a difficult opponent on a big night where we needed a win,” Murphy.