Hearts Break Record After Record in 6-1 Mauling of Spokane
Published on October 21, 2025 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Portland Hearts of Pine News Release
PORTLAND, Maine - Needing a win to stay alive in the hunt for a home quarterfinal, Portland Hearts of Pine (11-11-7) poured on the goals against Spokane Velocity (14-8-7) on a night that saw records tumble at a raucous Fitzpatrick Stadium.
The six goals scored in the 6-1 win was the most goals scored in a match in Hearts of Pine history, while the five-goal margin was also the most in team history.
And then, for the icing on the cake, Portland broke the USL League One attendance record, packing 6,440 screaming fans into Fort Fitzy on a night that treated the crowd to goals galore at one end of the stadium as well as a number of Save of the Week candidates at the other.
With three matches packed into the final week of the regular season head coach Bobby Murphy rotated his squad against third-place Spokane. Center back Shandon Wright made his sixth start of the league campaign, and filled in at right back no less. Center back Séga Coulibaly, who has battled injuries since being signed in July, made just his fourth start of the year. And Natty James, fresh off FIFA World Cup qualifier duty with Trinidad and Tobago, made only his third league start of 2025.
Velocity started strongly against the rotated Hearts side, boasting 66 percent possession in the first half and taking the first two shots of the match.
But when James scored with Portland's first attempt of the night, the floodgates didn't just open-they disintegrated entirely.
In the 18th minute, James intercepted a pass at midfield and passed the ball to Pat Langlois, who found Jay Tee Kamara streaking down the right. Kamara put Spokane defender Derek Waldeck in the spin cycle, turning him inside and out before sliding the ball into the path of James at the top of the penalty area. James unleashed a rocket of a shot that left Velocity goalkeeper Carlos Merancio stranded, and just like that momentum had swung in the home side's favor.
1-0.
In the 34th minute, with Kamara weaving his way through the Spokane penalty area again, Jack Denton clipped his heels from behind and sent the Portland midfielder sprawling. Ollie Wright stepped up to the penalty spot, and as Merancio dove to his left, Wright gently chipped the ball in the opposite direction.
2-0.
Spokane pulled one back in the 42nd minute through Nico Brett on a long-range shot that ricocheted off the inside of the post, but Hearts restored their two-goal advantage just one minute later when James blasted his second effort of the night into the back of the Spokane net.
Ollie Wright picked Titus Washington out at the edge of the penalty area, and Washington back-heeled a pass to James 22 yards from the goal. James took two quick touches to settle the ball, then sent a low screamer into the far side of the net.
3-1.
The crowd had barely caught its breath from celebrating James' stellar strike when Nathan Messer one-upped him in the third minute of stoppage time with a wonderstrike of his own. James' two long range strikes? From in front of the goal. Messer's attempt? He gathered a high ball near the top of the center circle, beat a Spokane player down the sideline, then from the side of the penalty area lofted his effort over Merancio into the far top corner of the goal.
4-1.
Hearts took a healthy lead into the halftime break, with Spokane reeling from the barrage of stellar strikes from distance. But if the visitors thought their hosts would relent in the second half, they were mistaken.
In the 59th minute, David Garcia blocked a Kamara shot back into the path of Ollie Wright. Wright moved to his right, then cut back to his left and blasted a shot through heavy traffic that drew a reflex save from Merancio. The save only proved to be a brief stay of execution though; it fell to Washington, who redirected it back past Merancio into the goal.
5-1.
Eight minutes later Hearts scored their sixth and final goal of the night, as Ollie Wright threaded a ball between two Spokane defenders and into the path of Kamara, who casually chipped it over a diving Merancio and into the open goal.
6-1.
At the other end of the stadium, Hunter Morse made five saves on the night, with one in stoppage time a spectacular effort from close range to deny Garcia.
As the final whistle blew the record crowd erupted, red smoke billowing from the Dirigo Union while the New Radicals' "You Get What You Give" honored Portland's effort and provided an apt soundtrack to Hearts' well-earned victory lap.
The explosive victory has set the stage for the party of the year (so far) at Fitzpatrick Stadium on Saturday. Portland needs a little help from above it on the table, but a win over AV Alta FC this weekend could see Fort Fitzy firing on all cylinders in the first weekend of November during the first round of the playoffs-and with more than 6,000 fans cheering on a side capable of scoring six goals, who knows what magic could happen.
Head Coach Bobby Murphy: "I am immensely proud of everyone in the organization that we were able to do this. I think the fans deserve the playoffs. I think the players deserve the playoffs. And I think the front office and everybody who built this before I got here deserves the playoffs, and we're just happy to give them that opportunity."
GOALS
POR - Natty James 18' (Jay Tee Kamara), Ollie Wright PK 35', James 43' (Titus Washington), Nathan Messer 45'+3, Washington 59', Kamara 67' (O. Wright)
SPK - Nico Brett 42' (Nil Vinyals)
DISCIPLINE
YC - David Garcia (SPO 63')
RC - NONE
LINEUPS
PORTLAND - Hunter Morse, Nathan Messer, Sean Vinberg, Séga Coulibaly (Michel Poon-Angeron 58'), Shandon Wright, Mikey Lopez ©, Pat Langlois, Jay Tee Kamara (Mo Mohamed 83'), Ollie Wright (Jake Keegan 72'), Titus Washington (Noah Kvifte 72'), Natty James (Masashi Wada 58')
Unused substitutes -, Evan Southern, Kash Oladapo
SPOKANE - Carlos Merancio, Jalen Crisler, David Garcia, Lucky Opara (Javier Martin 60'), Derek Waldeck, Luis Gil © (Masanga Akale 60'), Nil Vinyals, Jack Denton (Bryce Meredith 75'), Andre Lewis, Nico Brett (Anuar Palaez 60'), Shavon John-Brown (Marky Hernandez 60')
Unused substitutes - Ryan Bilichuk, Camron Miller
United Soccer League One Stories from October 21, 2025
- Hearts Break Record After Record in 6-1 Mauling of Spokane - Portland Hearts of Pine
- Obregón Named USL League One Player of the Week, Continues Assault on Records in Season Finale this Weekend at ChattanoogaâÃâ¬Ã¦ - Westchester SC
- Bazini, Rasheed, Vivas Earn Team of the Week - South Georgia Tormenta FC
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