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USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Athletic Move One Step Closer to Playoff Berth with 2-1 over Tulsa

October 19, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


Hartford Athletic came from behind to beat FC Tulsa 2-1 on the road tonight, adding three critical points to their playoff push at the beginning of their final road trip of the season.

FC Tulsa delivered the first blow to Hartford Athletic in the beginning of an end-to-end first half that saw both teams open each other up, taking the 1-0 on a penalty kick in the 10th minute. The penalty was drawn a minute prior, when Jordan Scarlett made contact with Boubacar Diallo in the box. Stefan Stojanovic took the penalty kick and converted it to the bottom right corner, giving the home side the early lead.

Quickly down a goal, Hartford were sharp in their response. Emmanuel Samadia created a shot on target for Danny Barrera inside the box in the 12th minute, and Marcus Epps hit the left post just six minutes later. Soon after, Michee Ngalina fired a cross into the box that Alexis Souahy put into his own net. Renan Ribeiro booted a quality ball from Hartford's half that took one bounce in the box, and Ngalina did well to fight off Arthur Rogers to possess the ball. Looking for Mamadou Dieng right in front of goal, he squared a low cross that deflected off of Souahy and into the net. After a spell of dangerous attacking pressure, the Green and Blue had brought themselves level at 1-1 in the 24th minute.

The lighting-quick Ngalina continued to wreak havoc in Tulsa's third throughout the rest of the half. He got loose in the box for three shots shortly after the goal, forcing another block from Souahy at the end of a long corner kick sequence and a clever through ball from Marcus Epps. He nearly gave Athletic the lead in stoppage time, firing a shot that forced a kick save from Johan Peñaranda.

Tulsa's next-best chance of the half came on a shot from Faysal Bettache in the 40th minute, which zipped just above the crossbar. Hartford had 11 shots to Tulsa's 10, and both squads put two shots on target. They took to the locker rooms locked at a goal apiece.

Hartford picked up right where they left off in the opening minutes of the second half, continuing to penetrate Tulsa's back line. Marlon Hairston and Mamadou Dieng both found space in the box for headers in the 50th and 53rd minute, with feeds coming from Samadia and Ngalina. Tulsa grasped more control of the match in response, taking five shots of their own over a long stretch of appearances Hartford's third, but none challenged Ribeiro.

The Green and Blue clawed their way to a game-winning goal in the 80th minute. The buildup sequence began with a chipped ball from Marlon Hairston to the bottom right area of the box, leading to a header from Younes Boudadi to Danny Barrera. The midfielder fanned on his shot attempt, but the ball spun to Kyle Edwards just yards in front of goal. The second half sub powered a shot that was partially blocked by Bourgeois, deflected by Peñaranda's right hand, then trickled over the goal line. Hartford had a 2-1 lead as stoppage time approached.

Athletic put forth a composed defensive effort to slam the door shut on tonight's match. They faced nine shots and defended five corners after scoring the go-ahead goal, and staved off a kitchen-sink effort from Tulsa after 10 minutes of stoppage time were given. Younes Boudadi made a heroic clearance in the 83rd minute, sliding to beat Diogo Pacheco to a dangerous low cross. A calm Renan Ribeiro made four saves over the period, and Hartford's back line blocked four shots. As the clock struck 100, the final whistle blew and the Green and Blue secured three points.

There were excellent individual performances up and down Hartford's roster tonight. Michee Ngalina troubled Tulsa in their third, taking seven shots and creating the own goal that tied the game. Danny Barrera created six chances and Emmanuel Samadia created five, as the two left-footed midfielders sprayed the ball around the field for the Green and Blue. Joe Farrell had eight clearances, and Renan Ribeiro ended the match with five saves. The 34 year old Brazilian is now just 10 saves away from beating Jeff Caldwell's club record for saves in a single season.

Hartford collect their 43rd point of the season with the win, the most in club history. They move to 12-13-7 and into ninth place, still in control of their own destiny in their push toward the USL Championship playoffs. If they win their next two matches, they will end the season on the top side of the table without depending on any results from fellow Eastern Conference teams. They'll play the Tampa Bay Rowdies at IMG Academy on Wednesday, October 23rd at 7:30pm, then travel to Orange County for the final match of the season on October 26th.

FAST STATS

Shots (On-Target): Hartford 18 (3) Tulsa 23 (5)

Corners: Hartford 3 Tulsa 11

Fouls: Hartford 8 Tulsa 9

Offsides: Hartford 2 Tulsa 0

Possession: Hartford 52.1% Tulsa 47.9%

Passing Accuracy: Hartford 83.3% Tulsa 82.4%

Saves: Hartford 5 Tulsa 2

SCORING SUMMARY

Tulsa:

9 ‚¬Â² - Stojanovic

Hartford:

24 ‚¬Â² - Own goal

80 ‚¬Â² - Edwards (Barrera)

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY

Tulsa:

89 ‚¬Â² - Bettache (Yellow)

90+8 ‚¬Â² - Bell (Yellow)

Hartford:

HARTFORD ATHLETIC STARTING LINEUP

40 (GK) Renan Ribeiro, 24 (DF) Michael DeShields, 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett, 15 (DF) Joseph Farrell, 29 (MF) Emmanuel Samadia, 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston, 6 (MF) Beverly Makangila, FW (11) Michee Ngalina, 7 (FW) Marcus Epps, 10 (MF) Danny Barrera, 33 (FW) Mamadou Dieng

FC TULSA STARTING LINEUP

99 (GK) Johan Peñaranda, 20 (DF) Patrick Seagrist, 3 (DF) Alexis Souahy, 22 (DF) Bradley Bourgeois, 4 (DF) Arthur Rogers, 63 (DF) Sebastian Sanchez, 31 (DF) Owen Damm, 6 (MF) Boubacar Diallo, 77 (MF) Faysal Bettache, 19 (FW) Stefan Stojanovic, 29 (FW) Aaron Bibout

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