USL Championship Player of the Year Hadji Barry got his Hartford Athletic debut in the Green & Blue’s 1-0 win over Miami FC on the road. Also seeing significant playing time – and scoring the game winner – after an injury kept him out of several games earlier this season was New England Revolution loanee Jack Panayotou.
The first half was a very even matchup between the two sides, with both teams attempting three shots (and one on target) and possession remaining almost equally split (58.4% to Miami and 41.6% to Hartford)
The second half saw Athletic capitalize on some crucial opportunities and take over control of the game.
In the 54th minute, Beverly Makangila stole the ball off a Miami defender and carried it until just outside the 18-yard box. Selflessly, he dished the ball out wide to a wide open Panayotou. The Cambridge, Massachusetts native let the ball roll across his body before striking it one-time with his left foot into the back of the net, giving Hartford the 1-0 lead.
This goal marked Panayotou’s first in the USL Championship Regular Season this year, along with Makangila’s first assist.
Just over two minutes later, the Boys in Green had a dangerous opportunity to double their lead. Jonathan Jiménez won the ball near Hartford’s 18 and dribbled forward. He played it to Panayotou up the flank who turned and took off towards goal. As Panayotou carried the ball, Jiménez hustled to make an overlapping run into space. The newly recuperated midfielder played the ball perfectly into Jiménez’s run for him to control and rip a shot. Goalkeeper Nicolás Campisi came up big with save to keep Hartford at one goal.
The two teams continued trading possession, with good chances for both sides, throughout the rest of the game.
Hartford’s next best chance came in the 82nd minute when recently subbed in Hadji Barry received the ball off a throw-in and turned his defender. He played a give and go with Kyle Edwards then slotted Hartford’s super sub in behind the Miami defenders. Edwards fired off a shot but Jonathan Ricketts provided a crucial sliding tackle to keep the ball out of the net.
Goalkeeper Antony Siaha made some crucial saves in the second half to secure his eighth clean sheet of the season, enough to tie for 3rd place in the league.
In the 62nd minute, an Athletic clearance fell to Diego Mercado. The 5’7” midfielder took a touch and fired off a shot that was headed straight for the bottom left corner. Siaha propelled his 6’5” frame to the ground to smother the ball and keep Miami scoreless.
The last couple minutes of the match saw several other dangerous opportunities for the home team but the Boys in Green defended as a team and Siaha came up big with a few other saves to secure the win for Hartford.
Athletic is back at home on Wednesday, September 10 at 7:30 PM against Greenville Triumph for the Semifinal match of the Jagermeister Cup. Tickets are available here.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | MIAMI | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 11 | 13 |
| Shots On Target | 4 | 5 |
| Corners | 5 | 2 |
| Fouls | 14 | 14 |
| Offsides | 3 | 0 |
| Possession | 35.9% | 64.1% |
| Passing Accuracy | 69.3% | 84.4% |
| Saves | 5 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | MIAMI |
|---|---|
| 54′ – Jack Panayotou (Beverly Makangila) |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | MIAMI |
|---|---|
| 19′ – Jordan Scarlett (Yellow) | 90+3′ – Matías Romero (Yellow) |
| 67′ – Antony Siaha (Yellow) |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | MIAMI |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 1 (GK) Nicolás Campisi |
| 22 (DF) TJ Presthus | 3 (DF) Alejandro Mitrano |
| 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett (C) | 93 (DF) César Garcia |
| 30 (DF) Adrián Diz Pe | 13 (DF) Daltyn Knutson (Deian Verón, 80′) |
| 2 (MF) Sebastian Anderson | 2 (DF) Jonathan Ricketts |
| 6 (MF) Beverly Makangila | 8 (DF) Matías Romero |
| 8 (MF) Junior Moreira | 7 (MF) Allen Gavilanes (Tobías Zárate, 65′) |
| 16 (MF) Jack Panayotou (Samuel Careaga, 60′) | 5 (MF) Diego Mercado |
| 17 (MF) Jonathan Jimenéz (Kyle Edwards, 60′) | 30 (MF) Cristian Vázquez (Francesco Celeste, 79′) |
| 20 (MF) Cameron Duke (Baboucarr Njie, 46′) | 9 (FW) Francisco Bonfiglio |
| 81 (FW) Adewale Obalola (Hadji Barry, 71′) | 26 (FW) Lucas Melano (Kevin Hoyos, 72′) |
