Late goal sends Hearts of Pine to first home loss of season

PORTLAND — Another late conceded goal resulted in the first home loss in 2026 for the Portland Hearts of Pine. Pedro Hernandez of the Chattanooga Red Wolves headed in a long direct kick in the 90th minute, lifting his team to a 2-1 victory in a USL League One game Saturday night at Fitzpatrick Stadium. In added time, Tyler Huck hit the cross bar after a pass from Ollie Wright, who had a chance of his own moments later but missed high and wide. The Hearts of Pine tied the game on newcomer Diego Gonzalez’s first USL1 goal in the 57th minute. Gonzalez, 23, has previously played his whole career in the Houston Dynamo system and joined Portland on Monday. He gave Portland a much-needed offensive infusion, roaming across the attacking midfield and looking to make forays and connecting well with Wright, Portland’s top scorer. His goal hit the left post and had enough backspin to curl back across the goal line. Advertisement “First game, I came in here today (determined) to score or give an assist,” Gonzalez said. Immediately after Gonzalez’s goal, Chattanooga keeper Jason Smith had to make quick-reaction saves on Wright from the left wing and Aboubacar Camara from the deep right. Wright had another good opportunity that Smith stopped minutes later. Smith made five of his six saves in the second half. Wright also hit the post with a shot in the first half, and a potential goal on a Brecc Evans header off a corner kick was whistled dead before Evans got his head to the ball. Portland coach Bobby Murphy was not happy with his club’s effort in the first half, saying players were not following instructions or working cohesively. “We created so many chances, we’ve got to take one of them,” Murphy said, “but you can’t play 45 minutes. The first half, we don’t turn up. Don’t want to run. Don’t want to do what we’re told. Want to do whatever we want. That’s what happens.” Advertisement It was that type of night for Portland, which had been 3-0-3 at home this season and is now 3-4-5 in the league, with three consecutive losses. Included was a 3-2 loss at last-place Corpus Christi when they allowed the tying goal in the 95th minute and the winning goal in the 98th. Then came a 5-1 thrashing last Saturday in a USL Cup match against USL Championship side Brooklyn FC. Chattanooga, which entered the game in 13th place in the 17-team USL1 standings, improved to 4-4-1. Portland found itself down a goal before the Valentine Band had finished its first number from the always-full supporters group (total attendance: 6,221). In the first minute, Chattanooga got deep into the Hearts’ defense. When center back Serigne Mbacke Faye tried to head the ball out of trouble, he put it in the midde of the field at the top of the 18-yard box. Chattanooga’s Omar Hernandez one-timed a shot into the top left of the goal just 66 seconds into the match, giving Portland keeper Hunter Morse no chance at a save. LATE-GOAL PROBLEMS Giving up a late goal is not new for Portland. In ties against FC Naples and on the road at Union Omaha, the Hearts surrendered tying goals in the 87th and 94th minute, respectively. Then came the two extra-time goals at Corpus Christi to turn a win on the road into a loss. There was also an extra-time goal allowed in the first half of a 2-1 home win against Spokane. Clearly, it’s a what-if exercise, but …. if Portland’s defense had held up against Naples, Omaha, Corpus Christi and Chattanooga, the club would be 6-2-4 with 22 points and in the top four in the league, instead of languishing in the bottom third. Advertisement “We just train it more, focus it more and try to come together more and just try to dial it in,” said Portland midfielder Matteo Kidd. “Those are important moments and you just got to find a guy, grab him, and don’t let him score.” WELCOME TO PORTLAND Saturday’s bright spot was the play of Gonzalez, who was slotted into the attacking midfield — or No. 10 position — filling a role that has been open since Masashi Wada’s injury in the home opener. Gonzalez had 16 goals and 15 assists over the 2023 and 2024 seasons with Dynamo 2 in the MLS NextPro ranks. After an injury curtailed his 2025 season, Gonzalez had played less frequently this season but did have a goal and two assists in 11 games (three starts) before being acquired by the Hearts of Pine. “Diego’s spot is something we’ve been missing since Sashi went down,” Murphy said. “I think we’re lucky to get Diego. From all accounts inside and outside the Dynamo, he could very easily be on an MLS roster right now had circumstances been different for him.” Gonzalez said he feels completely recovered from injury. When Murphy reached out to him about coming to Portland, Gonzalez realized he was going to be asked to play a role that fit his skill set. “He told me that there was a role he wanted me to play, and for me, I feel like I fit into that role very specifically,” Gonzalez said. “Get on the ball. Find the through balls. Be someone who can make passes and crosses. I’m a playmaker.” Copy the Story Link Tagged: [Hearts of Pine](https://www.pressherald.com/tag/hearts-of-pine/) [](https://www.pressherald.com/author/steve-craig) [Steve CraigStaff Writer](https://www.pressherald.com/author/steve-craig) Steve Craig reports primarily about Maine’s active high school sports scene and, more recently, the Portland Hearts of Pine men's professional soccer team. His first newspaper job was covering Maine. 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