CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Portland Hearts of Pine came within minutes of a road result Wednesday night, but Corpus Christi FC scored twice deep into second-half stoppage time to hand Hearts a 3–2 loss at Cabaniss Athletic Complex.
The match marked the first-ever meeting between Hearts and Corpus Christi, one of USL League One’s newest clubs. Portland entered the night looking to carry momentum from Saturday’s comeback win over Spokane Velocity FC, and for long stretches, Hearts appeared positioned to take points from their first trip to South Texas.
Portland struck first in first-half stoppage time through Brecc Evans, who delivered his breakthrough goal for Hearts. The chance came after Josh Drack’s entry ball off a short corner from Ollie Wright was blocked inside the box. Evans reacted quickly to the loose ball and volleyed his finish inside the right post, sending Hearts into halftime with a 1–0 lead.
Corpus Christi answered in the 52nd minute through Blake Bowen, leveling the match at 1–1. Hearts continued to push for a second, and in the 85th minute, JayTee Kamara put Portland back in front. Ollie Wright helped create the chance with a centering pass, and Kamara finished from the top of the penalty area to give Hearts a 2–1 advantage.
From there, Hearts looked minutes away from closing out a hard-earned road win. But stoppage time turned the match in a way that was painful to watch unfold.
Corpus Christi pushed numbers forward in search of an equalizer and began to generate pressure from set pieces. Deep into stoppage time, the home side earned a corner and made the most of it, with Sam Roscoe-Byrne getting on the end of the delivery to bring the match level at 2–2. The goal stunned Portland, but before Hearts could fully reset, Corpus Christi earned another corner moments later.
The second set-piece sequence proved decisive. Roscoe-Byrne rose again and headed home another late goal, turning a Hearts lead into a 3–2 deficit in a matter of minutes. What had looked like a gritty road result became a sudden and difficult loss, with Portland left chasing the game almost as soon as it had slipped away.
For Hearts, the result was a brutal ending to a match that had looked within reach. Portland showed stretches of quality on the road, got goals from Evans and Kamara, and created enough to put itself in position for a result, but Corpus Christi’s late pressure and back-to-back stoppage-time corners changed the night in the final moments.
The loss snapped Portland’s four-game unbeaten streak across all competitions. Hearts will now turn their focus to the next match as they look to regroup and respond.
Up Next
Hearts head to Brooklyn Sunday to take on Brooklyn FC in the USL Prix tires cup.