Hartford Turn the Lights out on Las Vegas in 2-1 Victory
August 17, 2024 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Hartford Athletic News Release
Hartford Athletic took down the hottest team in the USL championship tonight, picking up a 2-1 victory against Las Vegas Lights FC to break their 11-match undefeated streak.
Hartford made the first offensive advances of tonight's match, coming out of the first-half gate with high energy and crashing through the Lights' defensive third on multiple occasions in the early minutes of play. The Green and Blue generated their first scoring threat right off the opening kick-off after Marcus Epps gained possession of a lofted long ball from Younes Boudadi, sending a short pass to Mamadou Dieng whose close-range shot forced an impressive save from Raiko Arozarena. Dieng continued to wreak havoc on the Lights' defense in the 6th minute of play, firing a perfectly placed ball into space for Michee Nglaina whose low shot nearly gave Hartford an early lead.
The Green and Blue continued applying relentless pressure in the Lights' defensive third and saw another strong scoring opportunity in the 10th minute of the match after a dangerous corner kick skidded through the visitor's 18-yard box. Las Vegas came out of the kick with possession and acted fast to advance into Hartford's defense third while the team remained high for the corner. Jean-Claude Ngando capitalized on the open space in front of Hartford's goal and sent a soaring pass into space for Khori Bennett. Bennett made an impressive run onto Ngando's ball, surpassing Hartford's defense to fire off an unguarded shot past Renan Ribeiro to pick up the first goal of the match for the Lights' and take a 1-0 lead over Hartford.
Las Vegas's early lead didn't sway Hartford's determination to fight their way onto the board. After a string of scoring opportunities, the home side's efforts to equalize were answered in the 25th minute of the match after Dieng connected with a strong cross from Emmanuel Samadia, firing a high header just out of reach of Arozarena to level the score.
Both teams traded looks at the goal throughout the later minutes of the first half but neither club was able to break the level score. Michee Ngalina nearly put one in net for the Green and Blue in stoppage time but a diving save from Arozarena turned away his powerful strike, preventing Hartford from extending their lead before the end of the half. The halftime whistle blew and the score remained 1-1.
Hartford threw the first punches of the second half, spending time in their attacking third and maintaining high pressure on their Western Conference competitors. The home team's efforts paid off when a scoring chance prevailed in the 53rd minute of play after Arozarena sent a short ball to Grayson Doody right in front of the net. Ngalina took advantage of the opportunity to win back possession, stealing away the ball from Doody and striking an unsavable shot into the back of the net to double Hartford's lead.
Despite maintaining nearly 75% possession throughout the second half and putting forward numerous attempts to level the score, a stellar defensive performance from Hartford kept Las Vegas from breaking back onto the board. The Green and Blue denied one of the Lights' closest chances at a goal in the 84th minute when Ribeiro blocked a close-range shot from Christian Pinzon. Joe Farrell quickly reacted to Ribeiro's save, clearing away the rebound.
Hartford fought for another goal throughout the final minutes of play nearly taking the lead following back-to-back on-target shots in the 94th minute of the match from Epps and again in the 96th minute from Thomas Vancaeyezeele. After seven minutes of stoppage time, the match ended with a score of 2-1 to mark Hartford's third victory against the Lights.
Michee Ngalina reached 10,000 minutes in the USL Championship during this match and scored his eighth goal of the season, more than any other Hartford Athletic player. Khori Bennett scored the Lights' first ever goal against Hartford Athletic tonight but the Green and Blue are still undefeated against Las Vegas.
Tonight's victory over Las Vegas improves Hartford to a record of 7-12-4, keeping the Green and Blue undefeated all-time against the Lights. Hartford will remain home for their upcoming matchup against Louisville City FC next Saturday at 7:00 PM. Tickets are available at https://www.hartfordathletic.com/tickets/
FAST STATS
Shots (On-Target): Hartford 18 (11) Las Vegas 16 (5)
Corners: Hartford 7 Las Vegas 6
Fouls: Hartford 13 Las Vegas 11
Offsides: Hartford 1 Las Vegas 0
Possession: Hartford 33.1% Las Vegas 66.7%
Passing Accuracy: Hartford 73.1% Las Vegas 89%
Saves: Hartford 4 Las Vegas 9
SCORING SUMMARY
Las Vegas:
11' - Khori Bennett
Hartford:
25' - Mamadou Dieng
53' - Michee Ngalina
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
Las Vegas:
9' - Grayson Doody (Yellow Card)
13' - Gennaro Nigro (Yellow Card)
37' - Ousman Jabang (Yellow Card)
63' - Joe Gyau (Yellow Card)
Hartford:
43' - Younes Boudadi (Yellow Card)
90 +1' - Beverly Makangila (Yellow Card)
HARTFORD ATHLETIC STARTING LINEUP
40 (GK) Renan Ribeiro, 2 (DF) Jordan Scarlett, 15 (DF) Joe Farrell, 29 (DF) Emmanuel Samadia, 6 (MF) Beverly Makangila, 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston (71' - Thomas Vancaeyezeele), 12 (MF) Anderson Asiedu (36' - Deshane Beckford), 7 (M) Marcus Epps, 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina, 33 (FW) Mamadou Dieng (83' - Kyle Edwards)
LAS VEGAS LIGHTS FC STARTING LINEUP
56 (GK) Raiko Arozarena, 33 (DF) Gennaro Nigro, 24 (DF) Maliek Howell, 22 (DF) Joe Hafferty, 2 (DF) Grayson Doody (83' -Emrah Klimenta), 26 (MF) Jean-Claude Ngando, 16 (MF) Ousman Jabang (72' -Andre Fortune), 7 (MF) Joe Gyau (72' - Charles Adams), 27 (MF) Valentin Noël, 8 (MF) Coleman Gannon (55' - Edison Azcona Velez), 90 (FW) Khori Bennett (55' - Christian Pinzon)
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