Hearts Make History with Win over Naples
May 17, 2025 - United Soccer League One (USL1)
Portland Hearts of Pine News Release
PORTLAND, Maine - JayTee Kamara wasted no time making his presence felt in a Hearts uniform, while Walter Varela proved once again he has a knack for making magic moments, and on Saturday night the wingers kicked off a party that echoed far beyond the borders of the Fitzpatrick Stadium stands.
Portland Hearts of Pine: 2.
FC Naples: 1.
Number of people at 'Fitzy' going home hoarse after cheering Hearts to their first-ever USL League One victory: 5,715.
FC Naples (4-3-2), who were already starting their second-string goalkeeper after league shutout leader Lalo Delgado was sent off three days prior at Chattanooga, found themselves down to their third-string shot stopper - and down to 10 men - when Joel Serrano was shown a straight red card in the seventh minute for a hard challenge on a Hearts player.
Naples had dressed goalkeeper coach Tony Halterman as an emergency option, and seven minutes into Serrano's first-ever USL League One start - on his 26th birthday, no less - Halterman came off the bench for his first game action in two years.
In the 26th minute, Kamara had his own number called when Mikey Lopez suffered an off-the-ball injury. Kamara, who had only arrived in the country from his native Sierra Leone a few days prior to the match, immediately gave the left side of the Naples defense fits, his deft footwork leaving opponents wrong-footed on more than one occasion.
Kamara's energy and tenacity finally paid off in the 43rd minute, when Halterman deflected Varela's shot back into the field of play and into his path. Kamara gathered up the rebound and cut inside onto his left foot, then curled a shot through a gap in the Naples defense and into the back of the net.
Naples came out strong to start the second half, and Luke Prpa tied the match up at 1-1 in the 56th minute.
Nineteen minutes later, Masashi Wada took a free kick from outside the penalty area, and instead of firing the ball into the box, rolled it down the sideline to Nathan Messer. Messer drove a low cross towards the six-yard box, where a defender knocked it back to Varela.
Varela gathered the ball and moved to his left, getting Prpa to overcommit and leave his weight on his right foot. Varela then cut back inside and launched a shot towards the far post. Halterman only got a fingertip to a shot that needed a full hand, and just like that the man who scored Hearts' first-ever goal in a 4-0 win over C.D. Faialense in the first round of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup back on March 20 had given the hosts the lead.
Portland pressed and searched for a third score that would put the match out of reach, with Wada, Messer, and Titus Washington all peppering the Naples goal with shots.
While none found their target, the fans ultimately did not care. Portland Hearts of Pine (1-1-4) held firm for the win, and as the strains of Bob Marley's "One Love" rang out throughout the stadium, the players took an exultant long-awaited victory lap through air thick with green smoke, blue smoke, and gray fog.
Walter Varela had this to say about the match, "I feel like in the second half we took our foot off the gas a little bit, and they got a chance to get in the game with that one goal and a lot of other chances. After that we were able to find our feet in the game and score a goal and dominate."
You've always got to believe in the second ball or rebound, and be ready for that. That's what happened over there. Then it was just 1v1 and I put it on my right foot, and then it was a goal. I've been been trying to score one of those in training, and it didn't happen. It happens here. So everything happens for a reason.
GOALS
POR - Kamara 43', Varela 75'
NAP - Prpa 56'
CARDS
YC: Heckenberg (NAP 30'), Vinberg (POR 40'), Henderlong (NAP 45'), Fernandes (45+3'), Morse (POR 58'), Messer (POR 60'), Henderlong (NAP 77')
RC: Serrano (NAP 7'), Henderlong (NAP 77')
LINEUPS
PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE - Hunter Morse, Nathan Messer, Samuel Mahlamaki Camacho (Pat Langlois 46'), Sean Vinberg, Mikey Lopez © (Jay Tee Kamara 26'), Michel Poon-Angeron, Ollie Wright (Azaad Liadi 68'), Mickey Reilly (Colby Quinones 68'), Masashi Wada, Titus Washington, Walter Varela
Unused substitutes - Evan Southern, Shandon Wright, Kash Oladapo
FC NAPLES - Joel Serrano, Brecc Evans, Julian Cisneros, Max Glasser, Gustavo Fernandes (Rodolfo Sulia 82'), Chris Heckenberg, Kevin O'Connor © (Marc Torellas 75'), Luke Prpa (Ian Garrett 82'), Ian Cerro (Tony Halterman 10'), Karsen Henderlong (Roscoe Rubenstein 82'), Andres Ferrin
Unused substitutes - Justin Weiss, Tyler Pasnik
United Soccer League One Stories from May 17, 2025
- Hearts Make History with Win over Naples - Portland Hearts of Pine
- Triumph Settle for 2-2 Draw with AV Alta - Greenville Triumph SC
- WSC Earns a Result in Exciting Home Match vs. Forward Madison FC - Westchester SC
- Forward Madison FC Draw 1-1 against Westchester SC - Forward Madison FC
- Charleston Battery's Zeke Soto Joins the Triumph Offense - Greenville Triumph SC
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