RICHMOND, Va. — Portland came into the night looking to close out its two-match road swing on a high note after Wednesday’s 1-1 draw at One Knoxville SC, and Hearts put themselves in position to do just that with a strong first-half performance.
Portland thought it had the opener in the 29th minute when Serigne Mbacke Faye headed home a Diego Gonzalez set piece, but the goal was ruled offside.
Eight minutes later, the Hearts broke through.
JayTee Kamara slipped a no-look pass into Kidd, who calmly placed his finish into the lower-left corner in the 37th minute to give Portland a 1-0 lead.
The Hearts carried that advantage into halftime and continued to look for a second after the break.
Hunter Morse, coming off a seven-save performance in Knoxville, was again called into action as Richmond pushed forward. He made back-to-back saves in the 50th minute to preserve Portland’s lead and keep the Hearts in front.
Portland nearly doubled its advantage in the 67th minute when Konstantinos Georgallidis sent a dangerous ball toward the left post, creating an opening for Faye in front of goal, but the Hearts were unable to finish the chance.
Richmond found its equalizer in the 74th minute when Owen O’Malley connected with Joshua Kirkland in front of goal to make it 1-1.
The Hearts kept pushing.
Portland created another late opportunity in stoppage time when Faye got his head on a Gonzalez corner, sending the effort just over the bar as the Hearts searched for a winner.
Neither side was able to find the deciding goal before the final whistle.
For Portland, the draw capped a road swing that produced back-to-back points and another night in which the Hearts put themselves in position to take all three. Kidd’s finish gave Portland the lead, Morse again delivered key saves, and the Hearts continued to create dangerous moments through the final minutes.
The draw moves Portland to 5-9-8 in USL League One play.
The Hearts now return home to Fitzpatrick Stadium, where they will host Fort Wayne FC next Saturday at 7 p.m.