Portland Hearts of Pine v. Richmond Kickers: Three Thoughts
Hunter Morse stands strong, plus two more thoughts.
Portland Hearts of Pine and the Richmond Kickers battled to a scoreless draw at Fitzpatrick Stadium on Saturday night.
Goalkeeper Hunter Morse was called into action three times, while the attack couldn’t find the back of the net despite a few solid chances.
Here are three thoughts from the game.
New Faces
Sega Coulibaly and Noah Kvifte started their first league game, just three days after getting the nod in the international friendly against the Halifax Wanderers.
Coulibaly, who played for the LA Galaxy, was a physical presence along the backline, going 1/1 on ground duels and 5/6 on aerial duels, according to FotMob.
The 29-year-old centerback looked like he was still getting used to the field, as his long balls sometimes missed the mark.
Kvifte had seven passes into the final third, but only recorded one shot during his 74 minutes. The striker, who signed on July 29, is still getting familiar with his new teammates.
A pair of moments starting in the 13th minute help highlight this.
Kvifte first does an excellent job of using his 6-3 frame to hold up the ball. Soon after, Kvifte is seen trying to make a run behind instead of checking to the ball.
Coulibaly, who started next to Kemali Green, should be a starter if fit and healthy. Kvifte will likely come off the bench if Titus Washington and Azaad Liadi are available.
Morse Stands Tall
Goalkeeper Hunter Morse earned his third appearance on the USL League One Team of the Week after a strong performance against the Kickers.
In the 69th minute, Morse made an incredible reaction save, a task made difficult due to the mass of people in front of him. He followed that up by punching away the ensuing corner kick.
In the 89th minute, he stood his ground to deny a close-range effort from Joshua Kirkland.
After the game, head coach Bobby Murphy said, “It's not easy, right? You stand around, you stand around, then all of a sudden, you need to make a big save.”
Missed Chances
Hearts will be disappointed not to come away with three points because they had plenty of chances in a game where they held 70% of the possession.
JayTee Kamara was shifty on the right flank, but he fired one of his shots off frame and the other at the goalkeeper.
Ollie Wright had four shots, but none of them were on target. In the 54th minute, Nathan Messer cut the ball back for Wright—a play we’ve seen many times before—but the English attacker couldn’t convert.
Messer could’ve been the hero himself when he got on the end of Wright’s pass in the 88th minute, but the ball didn’t fall favorably after hitting the crossbar.
Hearts are currently ninth in the standings after 17 games. There’s much to play for, especially since eight of their remaining 13 are at home.
“We have to find ways to capitalize here at home, right?” Murphy said. “We've got to find ways to get back to being more direct with our possession, to create things.
“If you go side to side on this little field, you don't go anywhere, right? You’ve got to go forward. You’ve got to be willing to play through people. We've got to be willing to do that.”
Oh how sweet a Messer goal would have been in the 88th minute!