On a chilly April night in front of a packed crowd of 3,002 at Lewiston High School in Lewiston, Maine, the Portland Hearts of Pine pulled off the improbable: beating Hartford Athletic for their first upset win in just the club’s third match since its founding. Playing down a man in extra time, they fell behind 1-0 and managed to score an incredible equalizer and send the game into penalty kicks. In the shootout, they prevailed 4-2 to become the first team from the state of Maine to reach the Third Round in the 110-year history of the US Open Cup.
The Hearts, coming off a thrilling 4-0 US Open Cup victory in their first match against CD Faialense, and a scoreless draw on the road in league play against FC Naples this past Sunday, faced a tough test against Hartford. Hartford, competing in the USL Championship – a tier above the Pines who play in USL League One – struggled through a sluggish first half in Round 2 of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, with neither team managing to find the net.
It looked as if it could be a slow game, with the first high-percentage scoring look coming in the 63rd minute, when Hartfold goalie Gerold Antony Siaha made two miraculous saves – with the second unfolding after the first shot hit the post.
In the 72nd minute, Hartford came close to scoring, but the Portland goalkeeper, Hunter Morse, made a brilliant save – only to outdo himself with another exceptional stop in the 84th minute.
With 90 minutes unable to separate the sides, the match headed into 30 minutes of extra time. Tensions flared in the 93rd minute when Farrell of Hartford and Liadi of Portland got into a scuffle; both players received yellow cards.
In the 96th minute, Azaad Liadi of Portland collided with Joe Farrell while chasing down a ball headed back to Hartford’s goalkeeper. He was shown his second yellow card and sent off, forcing Portland to play the remainder of the match with 10 men. Emotions continued to boil over in the 97th minute, as both the Hartford goalkeeper and Portland’s manager were shown yellow cards.
The first half of extra time ended scoreless, with neither side able to find the breakthrough. Through it all, the Dirigo Union continued to provide massive support for Portland despite the cold and the added tension of extra time.
Hartford finally found the net in the 107th minute when Jordan Scarlett headed in a corner from Emmanuel Samadia. As the match wore on, snow began to fall in the 111th minute, heightening the drama. Jake Keegan was subbed on in the 113th minute and made an immediate impact.
In the 115th minute, Keegan scored a massive goal, chipping the Hartford keeper from 25 yards out to tie the game.
After Portland equalized to force a penalty shootout, Evan Southern scored the final penalty of an intense shootout to give the Hearts a 4–2 win on penalties. The Hearts will now advance to the Third Round of the 2025 Lamar Hunt US Open Cup, with the draw for the third round taking place at 1 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 3. The third round will take place from April 15-16, with each team in the Third Round being pooled geographically into groups of four.