With a chance to clinch a playoff spot the Portland Hearts of Pine had one of their worst first halves of the season.

After conceding two first-half goals, Portland lost Saturday’s USL League One game to Forward Madison, 3-1. It was the first time Portland (10-6-10) allowed two goals in the first half since June 7 and the first time Portland trailed by two goals since July 2, when it lost at home to AV Alta, 2-0.

Not what the Hearts or the 5,711 fans at Fitzpatrick Stadium were looking for.

“I thought we started really slowly and you know, when you start to dig a hole sometimes the best thing to do is put down the shovel,” said Portland coach  Bobby Murphy. “But we proceeded to keep digging.”

Portland entered the game in fifth place and could have clinched the expansion club’s first playoff appearance with a win and a tie or loss by Alta in its late game on Saturday. Instead, the Hearts will wait until next Friday at league-leading One Knoxville for their next opportunity to officially join the eight-team playoff party.

Madison (7-9-11) improved its chances of making the cut, climbing to ninth place, two points behind eighth-place Charlotte Independence.

Portland remained in fifth place, four points behind FC Naples for the fourth and final home playoff berth. The top four teams will host quarterfinal games the weekend of Nov. 1-2.

It was also the fourth straight game Portland scored less than two goals. Portland was coming off a 1-0 loss at Union Omaha on Wednesday, a game that saw several regular starters rested while Murphy stayed home after testing positive for COVID.

“I expected a much bigger response out of the guys who didn’t play on Wednesday and we didn’t get that,” Murphy said.

With a 2-0 lead, the experienced Madison squad played a rugged defensive style and often had players going to the turf feigning injury from phantom blows to slow the game.

Portland got one goal back in the 72nd minute when Jake Keegan got a slight nick of a header on a curling shot by Jay Tee Kamara. It was the 35-year-old Keegan’s first USL1 goal this season. He has now scored 31 times for five different teams in the league. 

Keegan and Kamara were part of a four-player switch in the 64th minute, but the Hearts never gained control and eventually lost their composure. 

Kamara earned a red card disqualification when he threw a forearm into the neck of a Madison player during a stoppage in the 81st minute, forcing Portland to finish the game down a man.

“You can’t be petulant. You can’t throw your toys out of the crib because you’re not getting your way,” Murphy said. “You just got to keep plugging away and for the first time in a long time we looked really emotional, immature.”

Madison put the game out of reach with a goal two minutes into added time by Garrett McLaughlin.

Forward Madison scored on its first shot of the game, a laser between two oncoming Hearts defenders by Derek Gebhard that shot past keeper Hunter Morse and into the right side panel in the 20th minute.

Madison made it 2-0 on a penalty-shot goal by Lucca Dourado 15 minutes later. Gebhard earned the penalty when he took a professional tumble after absorbing a solid bump as he worked left-to-right across the box. Gebhard had collected the ball after a failed clear by Portland.

The Hearts of Pine have four games remaining. After Friday’s game at One Knoxville, they will finish with three home games in eight days, facing last-place Westchester SC on Oct. 18; third-place Spokane Velocity on Oct. 21; and AV Alta on Oct. 25.