Morse Mania, a Wright Goal, Hearts Upset Red Wolves in Chattanooga
Published on November 1, 2025 under United Soccer League One (USL1)
Portland Hearts of Pine News Release
PORTLAND, Maine - Portland Hearts of Pine (11-7-12) beat two-seed Chattanooga Red Wolves SC (15-5-10) on Saturday night at CHI Memorial Stadium to advance to the semi-final round in their inaugural USL League One season.
In a tense and physical matchup, Hearts of Pine battled to a hard-earned 1-0 victory, backed by a spectacular performance from goalkeeper Hunter Morse and a composed second-half finish from Ollie Wright.
The match opened at a frenetic pace, with both teams exhibiting playoff nerves. Portland pushed hard up the flanks, testing Chattanooga's defense early with crosses from Nate Messer on the left side, and Natty James advancing on the right. Despite Chattanooga's attempts to counter quickly from long balls played by Aaron Lombardi and Omar Hernandez, Morse stood tall, making a series of early saves.
While Chattanooga found some success delivering crosses from the left wing, Portland's back line, anchored by Kemali Green and Séga Coulibaly, absorbed the pressure.
The first half ended in a dead lock. Both teams looked to counter quickly, relying on center forwards Greyson Mercer and Pedro Hernandez for Chattanooga and Titus Washington for Portland to spearhead their attacks. Going into halftime, the Hearts enjoyed 65% possession.
The breakthrough came shortly after the restart. A clever give-and-go saw Jake Keegan lay the ball off to Wright who slotted the ball calmly into the bottom right corner, bending it around the outstretched hands of Ricardo Jerez.
As momentum shifted in favor of Chattanooga, Hearts had to defend a barrage of attacks primarily off of set pieces.
Coach Bobby Murphy put in fresh legs replacing captain Mikey Lopez with Pat Langlois and Jake Keegan with Azaad Liadi, who made his return to play against AV Alta FC last Saturday. Sean Vinberg and Shandon Wright bolstered the defense late in the game, and Morse continued his heroics to frustrate Chattanooga, who enjoyed the majority of chances.
Tempers flared late, with Chattanooga's coaching staff earning a yellow card as Portland's poise prevailed under mounting pressure. Even as the visitors threw Jerez forward in their last two corners of the game, Hearts held firm to secure the victory, even threatening to score again with a late chance for Evan Southern.
By the end of the match, Morse had a record nine saves, maintaining the shut out to push Hearts to the next round.
The win continues Hearts' record-breaking inaugural season. They will play the winner of Spokane Velocity FC versus South Georgia Tormenta FC next weekend.
GOALS
POR - Ollie Wright 55' (Jake Keegan)
DISCIPLINE
YC - Kemali Green (POR 26'), Jake Keegan (POR 53') Natty James (POR 67')
RC - NONE
LINEUPS
POR - Hunter Morse, Nathan Messer, Séga Coulibaly, Kemali Green, Mo Mohamed (Sean Vinberg 77'), Mikey Lopez (C) (Pat Langlois 64'), Ollie Wright, Michel Poon-Angeron, Natty James (Shandon Wright '89), Jake Keegan (Azaad Liadi 64'), Titus Washington (Evan Southern 89')
Unused substitutes: Kash Oladapo, Jay Tee Kamara
CHA - Ricardo Jerez, Jordan Ayimbila, Declan Watters, Eric Kinzner, Aaron Lombardi, Ualefi Dos Reis (C) (Omar Gomez 80'), Matthew Acosta (Zahir Vazquez 90+3'), Yanis Lelin, Omar Hernandez (Joshua Ramos 65'), Greyson Mercer (Matt Bentley 65'), Pedro Hernandez
Unused substitutes: Jason Smith, Kimball Jackson, Tobi Jnohope, Alhassan Alhassan
United Soccer League One Stories from November 1, 2025
- Morse Mania, a Wright Goal, Hearts Upset Red Wolves in Chattanooga - Portland Hearts of Pine
- Toughness, Fight, and Pride: Red Wolves Come up Just Short in Quarterfinal Clash - Chattanooga Red Wolves SC
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