
Everything was in favor of the Portland Hearts of Pine getting their first USL League One win Saturday and it was beginning to feel like they were going to let it slip away.
They’d already given up a tying goal to man-down FC Naples and hadn’t put a single shot on net in the first 30 minutes of the second half.
Then Walter Verala made Portland’s first real shot of the second half count. He collected a bouncing rebound off a Nathan Messer ball into the box and drilled a shot into the upper right side of the net, scoring the game-winner as the Maine’s men’s professional soccer team claimed its first league win, 2-1, in front of 5,715 fans in a lightly misted fog at Fitzpatrick Stadium.
“In the second half we took our foot off the gas a little bit and they got a chance to get in the game with that one goal and a lot of other chances,” Verala said. “As a player, as an attacking player you always have to believe in the second ball or the rebound, or a save off the goalkeeper and be ready for that. And that’s what happened and then it was just 1-v-1 and I got it on my right foot and it was a goal.”
Portland improved to 1-1-4 in USL League One and moved up two spots in the standings to 11th. Portland had tied its last two league games, including the home opener on May 4 against One Knoxville. Naples (4-3-2) dropped from second to third in the league standings with its third straight loss.
“It was huge to get the win. I’m happy first of all for the supporters and ownership and the front office staff and everybody who has put so much into this process,” said Portland coach Bobby Murphy. “For them to get this first win at home, I’m just thrilled for them.”
FC Naples entered the game without three starters — including keeper Lalo Delgado — because of red cards received in their 3-1 loss at Chattanooga on Wednesday. Then reserve goalie Joel Serrano drew a red card for a presumably violent play when he delivered a blow to Samuel Mahlmaki-Camacho’s head while defending a corner kick just seven minutes into the match.
That meant FC Naples had to go to third goalie Tony Halterman, who last played with amateur side Chicago House AC, and would play the rest of the match a man-down with 10 players.
While the Hearts carried a 72% possession in the first half with a 10-4 shot advantage it took some time to crack Halterman and the Naples defense. Portland cashed in its advantages in the 43rd minute when Jay Tee Kamara got onto a Verala cross and showed some calm patience to find a slot to bang in the goal.
Kamara was playing in his first game for Portland. A native of Sierra Leone, his arrival was delayed nearly four months by visa issues.
Kamara got to Portland on Monday after nearly two days of travel that included an overnight in Turkey and then a flight to New York. Kamara met his teammates this week and had three training sessions. The 5-foot-3 22-year-old, who attended Montverde Academy, expected to get into the game in the late stages of the second half. But when right back Mikey Lopez went down in the 26th minute, he heard his name called. Murphy shifted Mickey Reilly — making his first pro start — to right back and moved Kamara into an attacking midfield position on the right side.
It took him just a few minutes to show off some clever dribbling skills but his goal came because he played off the ball and was in position to collect the ball after Verala’s cross was deflected by a diving Halterman.
“Before the game I was having a conversation with some of my teammates and I said, I don’t care whatever time the coach is going to bring me in, I’m going to score,” Kamara said. “Because I knew I was going to do it. Sometimes you feel confidence that you’re going to do it.”
FC Naples carried play in the opening stages of the second half despite being a man down. Portland keeper Hunter Morse had to make a bang-bang double save, diving to stop a header off a free kick and then bouncing up to stop a tight angle rebound.
Naples’ pressure paid dividends in the 56th minute. Luke Prpa took advantage of a failed clear of an Andres Ferrin’s cross into the box and tied the game with his goal.
“We started the game really well, then there was the red card, then there was a little lull, then we finished (the first half) really well,” Murphy said. “But we forget what made us successful, which was playing in their half, being on the front foot. Then we start playing sideways and backwards and then we invite them back into the game.”
As the 75th minute began, Naples had a 6-0 second-half shot advantage. It wasn’t until Verala’s goal that Portland found its footing and the advantage intensified when, in the 77th minute, FC Naples went down another man when forward Karsen Henderlong was given a red card as he went in feet first on a scoring chance. While his boot was quite low to the ground, Henderlong did cleat a diving Morse who was trying to get to the free ball first.
“There’s a lot of lessons to be learned from this but we escaped with the three points,” Murphy said. “To be successful we have to tighten up a lot of those things.”
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