Niall Reid-Stephen broke a 1-1 tie in the 83rd minute, giving South Georgia Tormenta a 2-1 win over Portland Hearts of Pine in a USL League One game Saturday night in Statesboro, Georgia.

Portland (0-1-2) allowed its first goal in three league games when South Georgia’s Mason Tunbridge scored in the sixth minute. The 1-0 lead stood until the late stages of the match, when the Tormenta were reduced to 10 players after Anatolie Prepeliță received a second yellow card in the 79th minute.

The Hearts of Pine capitalized just two minutes later. Nathan Messer took a free kick from just outside the penalty area, and Patrick Langlois pounced on a loose ball after South Georgia keeper Austin Pack was unable to control Messer’s shot. Langlois fired into the open net for Portland’s first USL1 goal.

Reid-Stephen quickly answered, however, putting South Georgia back on top.

The two goals by the Tormenta were their only shots on target. Portland had a 13-7 overall edge on shots and a 6-2 advantage in shots on goal.

Hearts return to action at 7 p.m. Tuesday when they host Rhode Island FC of the USL Championship in the third round of the U.S. Open Cup. The game will be played at Lewiston High School.

Join the Conversation

Please sign into your CentralMaine.com account to participate in conversations below. If you do not have an account, you can register or subscribe. Questions? Please see our FAQs.