Sarasota Paradise midfielder Aaron Walker scored on a deflected shot in the eighth minute, and the Portland Hearts of Pine were unable to put a shot on goal Saturday night in a 1-0 USL League One defeat in Sarasota, Florida.
Sarasota, a first-year club, got its first-ever victory in its third game. Both teams are now 1-1-1.
Walker’s goal came after a shot in the box by Garrett McLaughlin was blocked but not cleared. Walker, from just outside the top of the box, took a left-footed shot that deflected off a Hearts defender and beat keeper Hunter Morse high to his right.
Portland played without several injured starters, including USL1 all-star Ollie Wright.
The Hearts are idle until April 11, when they play their first home game of the season against One Knoxville SC, the reigning USL1 champion.
Comments are not available on this story. Read more about why we allow commenting on some stories and not on others.
We believe it's important to offer commenting on certain stories as a benefit to our readers. At its best, our comments sections can be a productive platform for readers to engage with our journalism, offer thoughts on coverage and issues, and drive conversation in a respectful, solutions-based way. It's a form of open discourse that can be useful to our community, public officials, journalists and others.
We do not enable comments on everything — exceptions include most crime stories, and coverage involving personal tragedy or sensitive issues that invite personal attacks instead of thoughtful discussion.
You can read more here about our commenting policy and terms of use. More information is also found on our FAQs.
Show less