PORTLAND — For at least one night the Portland Hearts of Pine washed away a season of frustration.
Aboubacar Camara collected a pass from Jay Tee Kamara, turned and fired a shot off Westchester SC goalkeeper Luca Marinelli’s diving hands to give Portland a 2-1 USL League One win Sunday night.
It was Portland’s first league win since July 3 and just its fourth league win at Fitzpatrick Stadium this season, with 6,224 in attendance to run the consecutive sellout streak to 35.
“It’s been a long time. We’re all just happy and to get the win for the home fans. They’ve been supporting us when we weren’t doing good,” Camara said.
The win held up in large part thanks to Hearts goalie Hunter Morse’s left foot.
Right at the start of added time, Westchester was able to get deep in the box and a cross found Koen Bommestijn open center goal and nine yards out. Morse had reacted across the goal on the cross and was in a dive to the left post when Bommestijn’s shot was directed behind him. Morse flicked up his left foot and knocked it up and away.
Within minutes after the game ended, USL League One’s Instagram account was saying Morse’s game-saver was the best save in league history. USL1 began play in 2019.
“I’ll let you guys decide that,” Morse said. “The ball got played across and I kind of had to go desperation because I’m sprinting across my goal. He went behind me and I just threw my leg out.”
Camara agreed with the league’s opinion.
“That’s probably the best save I’ve seen since I started playing,” Camara said. “Hunter Morse? I mean I don’t even know how to describe that guy. He’s been saving us all year.”
REVERSAL OF FORTUNE
Portland led 1-0 on an 11th minute penalty kick goal from Diego Gonzalez. But Portland has struggled to hold leads.
Westchester (6-13-5) tied the game after a Hearts’ defensive miscue in the 67th minute. It was the eighth time this season Portland has allowed a tying goal in a USL1 match. The previous seven times have resulted in three ties and four losses, the most recent coming Wednesday at the Charlotte Independence when Portland allowed goals in the 96th and 98th minute to lose 3-2.
STILL ALIVE
Portland improved to 6-11-8 in USL1 and kept its slim playoff hopes alive. Portland is in 13th place. with 26 points, tied in points with 11th place FC Naples and 12th place Sarasota Paradise. Eight teams make the playoffs. Fort Wayne FC (9-8-6) is currently in eighth, seven points ahead of Portland with 33 points.
Portland has seven games remaining. Its next match is Sunday against ninth-place AV Alta (8-10-8).
“I think right now it’s relief, that we got through this,” Murphy said. “Reward the fans. I don’t think we’re in a position to start staring at the table. We’ve got to just put points on the board.”
FIGHT, FIGHT, (SORT OF) FIGHT
Camara’s goal, his seventh of the season, came just before a brief rain began and eight minutes after an on-field altercation between the teams with Portland’s Brecc Evans and Westchester’s Dean Guezen the main two that grabbed ahold of each other. They received yellow cards.
The dust-up — “I’ve been in fights. That wasn’t a fight,” said Portland coach Bobby Murphy — came after a series of hard tackles that weren’t called and finally a whistle when Portland’s Gonzalez was taken down from behind.
“In those moments you want to stick up for your teammates and you’ve got to know they have your back,” Murphy said.
Morse sprinted from his goal area to try to separate his teammates from the scrum.
“It’s good to know that all the reactions that happened, it’s good to see that everyone wants to stand up for their teammates,” Morse said.