PORTLAND, Maine — The Hearts of Pine found a way to finish the job Sunday night, scoring in the fourth minute of stoppage time to defeat AV Alta FC 1–0 in front of 6,194 fans at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
After rain fell throughout the day and stopped roughly an hour before kickoff, the Hearts and their supporters were greeted by cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s. Despite the weather, the crowd brought plenty of energy from the opening whistle.
Alta came out with early pressure, forcing Portland to spend much of the opening 15 minutes defending. Hearts goalkeeper Hunter Morse kept the match scoreless in the 12th minute, stepping forward to block a close-range shot inside the box before Portland cleared the resulting corner.
The Hearts gradually began to find more opportunities as the half continued. Diego Gonzalez came close with a powerful free kick in the 34th minute that was saved by the Alta goalkeeper, while Jay Tee Kamara narrowly missed with a low shot in the 42nd minute after carrying the ball forward from midfield.
Portland continued to defend well through the final minutes of the half, including a late Alta attack following a corner, sending the match into halftime scoreless.
The Hearts came out with more attacking pressure after the break. An early free kick created a dangerous sequence inside the Alta box, while another strong passing sequence in the 63rd minute allowed Portland to move the ball forward with some of its best combination play of the night.
Kamara later came close again, firing a shot over the crossbar as the Hearts continued searching for the opening goal.
As the match entered its final 15 minutes, the intensity continued to build. Portland created one of its best chances in the 75th minute when Kamara combined with a teammate before sending a cross into the box. The Alta goalkeeper punched the ball away and then recovered to make another save on the follow-up attempt.
With the match still scoreless, the crowd continued to push the Hearts forward.
Portland continued to create chances late. A blocked shot in the 83rd minute fell back into the box, where another Hearts header came just inches from finding the net. Another free kick and corner followed as the Hearts continued to apply pressure.
Seven minutes of stoppage time were eventually added, giving Portland one final opportunity to find the breakthrough.
That moment finally came in the fourth minute of added time.
A perfectly placed corner was sent toward the back right side of the box, where defender Serigne Faye rose above the defense and headed the ball down and into the net.
The stadium erupted.
“I don’t think I felt something like that yet in my career, so it was amazing. That connection was instant,” said Hearts’ newest team member Diego Letayfe Escutia.
The goal sent players and supporters into celebration as the Hearts finally broke through after more than 90 minutes of pressure. The roar from the 6,194 fans was one of the loudest of the season, capping a night in which the Portland supporters continued to sing, chant and bang the drums despite the difficult stretch the team had been going through.
“I am happy, but it’s not only me, it’s for the team,” said Faye. “And the fans come to support the team every game. This win is for us. This win is for the city.”
Portland still had to survive a pair of late Alta free kicks, but the Hearts defense held firm to secure the 1–0 victory.
“We talk about little moments, and you keep putting enough little moments on top of each other, you end up getting the big moment, which is the win at the end,” said Coach Bobby Murphy.
For a team that had endured a difficult stretch, the late winner provided another important home result and gave the Hearts their second straight victory at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
“I think it felt like us from the start,” said Murphy. “We have a point where we want to play, we want to smother people, we want to give them no space, make it hard, and then go. Tonight felt like that.”
The Hearts will look to carry the momentum from Sunday’s win into the final stretch of the season, beginning with a road match at Chattanooga next weekend.