CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Portland Hearts of Pine earned a road point Saturday night in a 1-1 draw with Chattanooga Red Wolves SC, with 19-year-old Felipe Rodriguez Gentile scoring his first professional goal to give the Hearts a first-half lead.
Rodriguez Gentile entered the match in the 13th minute after Ollie Wright was forced out through injury and made his opportunity count before halftime. In the 39th minute, Matteo Kidd sent a cross into the area, where Rodriguez Gentile brought the ball under control and drove a left-footed finish into the upper corner to put Portland ahead 1-0.
The Hearts spent much of the opening half dealing with pressure from Chattanooga, particularly on set pieces. The Red Wolves won five corners and three free kicks before halftime, but Portland’s defense and goalkeeper Hunter Morse repeatedly kept the hosts off the board.
Morse produced one of his biggest stops in the closing moments of the half, making a strong save to preserve Portland’s advantage heading into the break.
Chattanooga continued to push in the second half, eventually finishing the night with 10 corner kicks. Morse was again called into action as Portland worked to protect the one-goal lead deep into the match.
The Hearts appeared poised to secure a third consecutive victory before Chattanooga found the equalizer in the first minute of stoppage time. Omar Hernandez received the ball in the middle of the penalty area and slipped a low finish past Morse to make it 1-1.
Portland saw out the remaining minutes to secure a point on the road, extending its unbeaten run to three matches after back-to-back home victories.
The draw leaves the Hearts seven points from the eighth and final playoff position with five matches remaining in the regular season.
Portland returns to Fitzpatrick Stadium next Saturday to face Sarasota Paradise as the Hearts continue their push through the final stretch of the season.