Defeating Hartford Athletic, a USL Championship team, was no easy task. It took penalties and an outstanding performance from Portland Hearts of Pine goalkeeper Hunter Morse to keep the Hearts’ Lamar Hunt US Open Cup run alive at Lewiston High School in Lewiston, Maine.
His key saves to keep Hartford scoreless until the 107th minute with ten men allowed the Hearts to force a late equalizer in the 117th minute. The Hearts went a man down in the 96th minute due to forward Azaad Liadi’s second yellow card.
“It was tough, but it happens, you know. Mentally, you’ve just got to forget about it, just play like we have 11,” said Morse.
Morse’s left handed save against Sebastian Anderson’s low shot was a turning point in the penalty shootout, allowing the Hearts to gain the advantage. Morse also got the upper hand over Hartford’s second-leading scorer in 2024, Michee Ngalina who had already notched one past Morse earlier in the game although it was called offside. Ngalina sent the ball over the crossbar, freezing under pressure.
The Hearts won 4-2 in penalties advancing to the Third Round of the 2025 US Open Cup after only three matches since the club’s founding.
For his performance, Hunter Morse was voted The Cup.us Player of the Round.
The Player of the Round award is voted on by TheCup.us staff, a select panel from the North American Soccer Reporters and select backers (those that pledge $10 or more) from TheCup.us’ Patreon team.
Hunter Morse distanced himself from second place Edgard Kreye of El Farolito SC (NPSL) who scored in the 83rd minute to send the “burrito boys” to the Third Round with a 2-1 road win over Monterey Bay FC.
Ben Mines of Loudoun United FC (USL Championship) earned third place for his performance against Virginia Dream FC where he scored a goal and had two assists in a 4-2 win.
Morse joined the Portland Hearts of Pine from FC Cincinnati. Drafted by the MLS side in 2023 as the 51st pick in the MLS SuperDraft. Last year, he started 11 games for FC Cincinnati 2 of MLS NEXT Pro, helping the team to the 3rd best record in the league and a berth in the playoffs.
Morse spent his college career at Michigan State before spending a graduate year at Western Michigan University. At WMU, he raised his draft stock by earning Mid-American Conference Goalkeeper of the Year honors.
“It was a difficult game,” said Morse about the PK win over Hartford Athletic. “They showed a lot of talent on their team, and I think the hardest part was just settling into the game mentally and trying to figure out what they’re going to do.”
When asked about his penalty kick save, Morse revealed that he “called bluff,” describing the right back looking to his right twice. Morse described observing how players line up to shoot during their routine in preparation for each shot.
The Hearts take on Rhode Island FC (USL Championship) on Tuesday at 7 p.m. EST at Lewiston High School.