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USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Athletic Fall 3-2 to Orange County in Season Finale

October 27, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


A valiant second half comeback effort fell short for Hartford Athletic on the road tonight, ending the 2024 season with a 3-2 loss to Orange County SC.

A scoreless first half was highlighted by two excellent saves from Renan Ribeiro, denying Orange County's Cameron Dunbar and Christopher Hegardt on dangerous scoring opportunities. Hegardt chipped a ball into the six yard box for Dunbar in the 22nd minute, and the striker's shot was met by the right hand of a charging Ribeiro off his line. It was Hegardt testing Ribeiro six minutes later, blasting a shot that was labeled for the bottom left corner of the net. Ribeiro was up to the task again, springing to the shot and getting two hands on the ball for the save.

Michee Ngalina and Mamadou Dieng had the best scoring opportunities for Hartford in the half, as both of them took shots from inside the box that went just wide of the net. A quiet set of 45 minutes, the teams took to the locker rooms knotted at 0-0.

The flood gates opened at the start of the second half, with three goals being poured in before the 60th minute. In a quick turn of events, a goal from Marcus Epps was called off and Ryan Doghman scored a minute later for Orange County. Epps put the ball in the back of the net in the 52nd minute after a spilt rebound from a Mamadou Dieng shot, but he was called offside. On the following possession, Doghman slotted a shot from the left side of the box into the bottom right corner.

Epps avenged his disallowed goal to bring Hartford level just two minutes after Doghman gave Orange County the lead. Thomas Vancaeyezeele drove a ball all the way from Hartford's half to Epps, who got behind Orange County's back line in their third, and finished his one-on-one opportunity with Colin Shutler with his left foot to the near post.

The 1-1 tie did not last more than three minutes, as Doghman punched back for the home side in the 58th minute. He took one touch from a few yards outside the box after a headed ball fell to him, and sizzled a low shot past Ribeiro to the bottom right corner.

Orange County held the lead for 25 minutes, but the Green and Blue refused to fade out of the match and equalized again in the late stages. In the 83nd minute, Danny Barrera grounded a shot that was cut off by Mamadou Dieng in the box. The striker flicked the ball back for Marcus Epps, who's shot was blocked and bounced into an open space. Reacting quickly and acrobatically, Kyle Edwards flung into the air to pull off a bicycle kick that sent the ball spinning in the left corner of the net. An incredible display of athleticism from Edwards to finish off a chaotic sequence, he had tied the score 2-2.

Continuing the punch-counterpunch theme of the half, the home team had one final answer in the 86th minute. Cameron Dunbar found Thomas Among at the top of Hartford's box with his back to the goal. The Cameroonian striker turned and fired a shot to the bottom right corner, beating Greg Monroe, who had subbed into the match for Ribeiro in the 64th minute.

Athletic couldn't find a third game-tying goal in the remaining minutes, and the final whistle blew after three minutes of stoppage time to solidify the 3-2 final.

Epps and Edwards both scored their third goals of the season tonight, and Thomas Vancaeyezeele added his fourth assist. Renan Ribeiro finished with two saves to bring his total to 103 on the year, coming just six short of Jeff Caldwell's single season club record. The 19-year-old Pele Ousmanou made his USL Championship debut in the second half of tonight's match, recording two tackles, an interception, and a shot on target.

Hartford Athletic finish the season at 12-14-8 with 44 points, the best record and highest point total in a full USL Championship season in the club's six-year history. They fell to 10th place on the Eastern Conference table with the loss, four points below the playoff line.

FAST STATS

Shots (On-Target): Hartford 12 (4) Orange County 16 (5)

Corners: Hartford 2 Orange County 2

Fouls: Hartford 14 Orange County 8

Offsides: Hartford 2 Orange County 0

Possession: Hartford 57.6% Orange County 42.4%

Passing Accuracy: Hartford 86.5% Orange County 84.9%

Saves: Hartford 2 Orange County 2

SCORING SUMMARY

Hartford:

55 ‚¬Â² - Epps (Vancaeyezeele)

83 ‚¬Â² - Edwards

Orange County:

53 ‚¬Â² - Doghman (Hegardt)

58 ‚¬Â² - Doghman

86 ‚¬Â² - Amang (Dunbar)

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

Hartford:

9 ‚¬Â² - Vancaeyezeele (Yellow)

17 ‚¬Â² - Ngalina (Yellow)

73 ‚¬Â² - Epps (Yellow)

Orange County:

40 ‚¬Â² - Hegardt (Yellow)

74 ‚¬Â² - Miles (Yellow)

HARTFORD ATHLETIC STARTING LINEUP

40 (GK) Renan Ribeiro (Monore, 64 ‚¬Â²); 5 (DF) Triston Hodge, 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett, 23 (DF) Thomas Vancaeyezeele (Barrera, 70 ‚¬Â²); 2 (DF) Younes Boudadi (Freeman, 85 ‚¬Â²); 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston, 12 (MF) Anderson Asiedu (Ousmanou, 45 ‚¬Â²); 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina, 29 (MF) Emmanuel Samadia (Edwards, 64 ‚¬Â²); 7 (FW) Marcus Epps, 33 (FW) Mamadou Dieng

ORANGE COUNTY STARTING LINEUP

1 (GK) Colin Shutler, 23 (DF) Ryan Doghman, 5 (DF) Dillon Powers (Miles, 45 ‚¬Â²); 30 (DF) Markus Nakkim, 2 (DF) Owen Lambe, 16 (MF) Christopher Hegardt (Amang,76 ‚¬Â²); 8 (MF) Seth Casiple, 19 (MF) Kevin Partida (Chattha, 26'); 11 (FW) Bryce Jamison (Barjolo, 76 ‚¬Â²); 7 (FW) Cameron Dunbar, 9 (FW) Ethan Zubak (Guimaraes, 34 ‚¬Â²)

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