Hartford used a dominant second half performance to come away with a 2-0 victory over Miami FC on Wednesday night. With this win, the Green & Blue are on a three game undefeated streak in USL Championship play.
Just two minutes into the second 45, TJ Presthus hit a ball down the line which Michee Ngalina ran onto, getting a cross off just before he ran out of real estate on the endline. Junior Moreira made a front post run to beat his defender and GK Bill Hamid to the ball, burying it in the back of the net and putting Hartford up 1-0. This marked Moreira’s first goal this season.
The real turning point in the game came in the 70th minute when Miami’s Bolu Akinyode received a straight red card for fouling Ngalina on a goal scoring opportunity.
Jonathan Jiménez and Mamadou Dieng combined in Hartford’s defensive third to get the ball out of danger and into Miami’s half. Ngalina showed off his blistering speed, running onto the ball and charging towards goal. As he entered the 18-yard box, one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Akinyode dragged Ngalina down from behind, drawing a penalty kick and getting himself ejected from the match.
Dieng took the ensuing penalty, confidently placing it in the bottom right corner for his 7th goal of the season in USL Championship play and his 10th goal in all competitions. Dieng becomes the first player in club history to record 10 goals in back to back seasons.
Feeling the energy after going up 2-0 and playing with an extra man, Hartford continued to press towards goal. In the 82nd minute, Ngalina received another ball over the top and took a touch towards goal. He attempted a shot but couldn’t get much power behind it. Kyle Edwards was there to help the ball into the back of the net, but he was ruled offside and the goal did not count.
The final minutes of the match turned chippy, but the Boys in Green remained calm and saw the game out through the final whistle, even creating some chances on goal in stoppage time.
GK Antony Siaha also had a big game, earning his 250th career save early in the first half, on a Miami opportunity that could have turned the tide of the game.
This game also marked Siaha’s third clean sheet in a row in USL Championship play, totaling 321 minutes without conceding a goal.
Hartford Athletic is back at home on Saturday, August 16 at 7:00PM against FC Tulsa. Tickets are available here.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | MIAMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 15 | 11 |
| Shots On Target | 4 | 3 |
| Corners | 4 | 3 |
| Fouls | 12 | 16 |
| Offsides | 6 | 0 |
| Possession | 43.3% | 56.7% |
| Passing Accuracy | 81.4% | 85.4% |
| Saves | 3 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | MIAMI |
|---|---|
| 47′ – Junior Moreira (Michee Ngalina) | |
| 73′ – Mamadou Dieng (PK) |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | MIAMI |
|---|---|
| 50′ – Mamadou Dieng (Yellow) | 63′ – Brandon Bent (Yellow) |
| 70′ – Bolu Akinyode (Red) | |
| 78′ – Daltyn Knutson (Yellow) |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | MIAMI |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 28 (GK) Bill Hamid |
| 19 (DF) Emmanuel Samadia (Baboucarr Njie, 85′) | 4 (DF) Nicolas Cardona (Brandon Brent, 60′) |
| 22 (DF) TJ Presthus | 21 (DF) Bolu Akinyode |
| 30 (DF) Adrián Diz Pe | 13 (DF) Daltyn Knutson |
| 15 (DF) Joe Farrell (C) | 2 (DF) Jonathan Ricketts |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 22 (MF) Franceso Celeste (Deian Veron, 60′) |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston (Beverly Makangila, 74′) | 8 (MF) Matias Romero |
| 17 (MF) Jonathan Jiménez (Samuel Careaga, 74′) | 26 (MF) Lucas Melano (Tobias Zarate, 79′) |
| 8 (MF) Junior Moreira (Deshane Beckford, 78′) | 10 (MF) Sebastian Blanco (Gerald Diaz, 79′) |
| 9 (FW) Mamadou Dieng (Kyle Edwards, 78′) | 30 (MF) Cristian Vazquez (Allen Gavilanes, 60′) |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina | 9 (FW) Francisco Bonfiglio |
