USL Hartford Athletic

Hartford Equalize in First Half, Earn a Point at Home

Published on April 1, 2023 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release


A first half equalizer from Elvis Amoh earned Hartford Athletic their first point at home this season.

Hartford began trailing early in today's match against Orange County SC. In the sixth minute, a Hartford foul was committed right outside of their own 18-yard box resulting in a free kick. Orange County forward Milan Iloski capitalized on the free kick in the seventh minute, marking Hartford's third game this season conceding a goal in the opening 25 minutes of a game.

Immediately following the Orange County goal, Hartford seemed to up the intensity, dominating possession 62% to 38% for the remainder of the first half. Strong chances started to roll in for Hartford, with their first threatening chance happening in the 34th minute. Defender Triston Hodge sent an aerial ball into forward Elvis Amoh, but his touch went just wide of the goal.

Coach Ramos selected Kyle Edwards to replace Beverly Makangila in the 40th minute, and the striker made an immediate impact in Hartford's final third play. He fired off two shots, and assisted on Hartford the equalizing goal just before the end of the half. In the fourth and final minute of stoppage time, Antoine Hoppenot took on a defender with speed on the left side and sent a cross into the box. Edwards was able to flick the ball with his head to Elvis Amoh, who powerfully struck the ball past Orange County SC goalie Cody Cropper.

Jeciel Cedeño had a strong first half for Hartford, covering a ton of ground and impacting play in the midfield. In the first half alone, he had six final third entries and contributed a shot for the home side.

The opening 15 minutes of the second half were shaky for Hartford with a few defensive lapses. In the 60th minute, a breakdown in Hartford's half caused goalkeeper Richard Sánchez to be pulled out of position. Milan Iloski received a ball with his back to the goal and set the ball to Emil Nielson who rattled off a shot on the open net, but Danny Barrera was perfectly positioned to cover the goal line and booted Nielsen's shot away in heroic fashion.

As the half progressed, the match became physical as both teams battled for a game winning goal. There were 10 yellow cards handed out in the second 45 minutes, five to each squad. Nine minutes of stoppage time were added when the 90th minute struck, and neither team could find a goal in the extra minutes. Orange County had the final chance of the match in the 99th minute when Nielson's shot at the top of the box was blocked by Kaveh Rad.

Elvis Amoh led Hartford with six shots, Jeciel Cedeño followed with three of his own, and Richard Sànchez made two saves.

Hartford Athletic earn a point at home, and will be back at Trinity Health Stadium on Tuesday night in the second round of U.S. Open Cup play against Lansdowne Yonkers FC at 7:00 PM.

FAST STATS

Shots (On-Target): Hartford 17 (3) Orange County 10 (4)

Corners: Hartford 2 Orange County 5

Fouls: Hartford 9 Orange County 12

Offsides: Hartford 1 Orange County 5

Possession: Hartford 64.2% Orange County 35.8%

Passing Accuracy: Hartford 80.3% Orange County 64.5%

Saves: Hartford 2 Orange County 2

SCORING SUMMARY:

6 ‚¬Â² - Iloski

45+7 ‚¬Â² - Amoh (Edwards)

DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY:

5 ‚¬Â² - Rad (Yellow)

65 ‚¬Â² - Cedeño (Yellow)

65 ‚¬Â² - Nakkim (Yellow)

70 ‚¬Â² - Hodge (Yellow)

72 ‚¬Â² - Barrera (Yellow)

81 ‚¬Â² - Partida (Yellow)

85 ‚¬Â² - Logue (Yellow)

87 ‚¬Â² - Doghman (Yellow)

93 ‚¬Â² - McGlynn (Yellow)

95 ‚¬Â² - Scott (Yellow)

95 ‚¬Â² - Richards (Yellow)

HARTFORD ATHLETIC STARTING LINEUP

1 (GK) Richard Sánchez, 50 (DF) Niall Logue, 3 (DF) Kaveh Rad, 16 (DF) Matt Sheldon, 5 (DF) Triston Hodge, 6 (MF) Beverly Makangila, 11 (MF) Jeciel Cedeño, 10 (MF) Daniel Barrera, 29 (MF) Antoine Hoppenot, 7 (FW) Prince Saydee, 9 (FW) Elvis Amoh

ORANGE COUNTY SC STARTING LINEUP

1 (GK) Cody Cropper, 23 (DF) Ryan Doghman, 6 (DF) Andrew Fow, 30 (DF) Markus Nakkim, 3 (DF) Alex Villanueva, 15 (MF) Ashish Chattha, 19 (MF) Kevin Partida, 12 (MF) Daniel Pedersen, 7 (FW) Milan Iloski, 11 (FW) Bryce Jamison, 9 (FW) Marc McNulty

Check out the Hartford Athletic Statistics

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United Soccer League Championship Stories from April 1, 2023


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