Hearts of Pine fall to Corpus Christi FC in pivotal USL1 showdown
PORTLAND — It was a battle between two teams desperate for points — and it did not go the way of the Portland Hearts of Pine.
The Hearts of Pine suffered a 2-0 defeat to Corpus Christi FC in USL League One showdown Saturday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Portland is seven points out of the eighth and final playoff spot, and lost ground to Corpus Christi.
“We’re definitely up against it,” said Hearts coach Bobby Murphy. “This was a big night for us, and I thought we were prepared and had a good week of training. We’ve just got to find a way to translate that stuff onto the field.”
Corpus Christi, which got a 20th-minute goal from Blake Bowen and an 84th-minute tally from Jack Keaney, remains in 10th place after the win. Portland (21 points), which has earned just one point in four games, fell five points back of their Texas counterparts.
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Corpus Christi looked the stronger of the two sides early and nearly took the lead in the eighth minute but was denied thanks to a brilliant save by Hearts keeper Hunter Morse. In the 20th minute, the pressure paid off as Bowen scored from close range.
The Hearts of Pine responded, going on the front foot for the rest of the first half and into the second. Portland, however, could not find a goal, and with time winding down, Keaney connected on a header from a corner kick and sent it from the right side of the box to the top-left corner.
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“When you give up the goal early like we did out of really nothing, it changes things,” Murphy said. “We had a few chances in the second half, and I thought we had enough to get back in it, but that’s the way things are going right now for us.”
Matteo Kidd made a number of strong runs into the box to generate chances for the Hearts of Pine. Yet the midfielder was left to rue a pair of misses, a powerful header in the 68th minute that went just wide of goal and an opportunity in the 76th that Corpus Christi keeper James Talbot saved.
“I thought we were up for it — we were up for it all week — and it came down to moments again, and I missed two big moments to change the game,” Kidd said. “That’s on me; I should have scored a goal both times. … It’s a tough feeling today after that.”
It was the second home game this week for the Hearts, who played Connecticut United to a 1-1 draw in a friendly Wednesday. The team played before a capacity crowd of 6,289 fans Saturday, the club’s 32nd consecutive sellout.
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Captain Mikey Lopez said the Hearts of Pine owe it to that crowd to get back on track.
“All we can do is start with one game and one win,” Lopez said. “In my year and a half, I’ve noticed that this city is not one to lay back down when things get difficult; Portland is a city that gets back up and starts fighting. I know that’s what we’re going to do.”
That starts with a showdown against Forward Madison on Aug. 16 at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Kidd said that a battle with fourth-place Madison (35 points), which has won five straight, might be what the Hearts need as the season nears the stretch run.
“It’s a good opportunity for us to get some confidence back, beat a really good team and get some confidence back for the rest of the year,” Kidd said. “Madison is a really good team, but they’ve got to come to Fort Fitzy, and hopefully we can turn this into our house again.”
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Mike Mandell came to the Kennebec Journal and Morning Sentinel in April 2022 after spending five and a half years with The Ellsworth American in Hancock County, Maine. He came to Maine out of college after. More by Mike Mandell
