8.29.2026 | Portland Hearts of Pine vs. Fort Wayne - Game Highlights

We are getting closer to kickoff here at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Mark Schoenster, Coach Allie Rogers with you here on ESPN Plus for a critical match between Portland Hearts of Pine and Fort Wayne FC. Let's start looking at some starting XI, shall we? Starting lineup for Fort Wayne and for Portland Hearts of Pine brought to you by NBT Bank. What are we looking at for the home side? Yeah, looking for a really strong solid start for them. So early on in the back line staying consistent, just seeing Smith there as the right back. The whistle sounds and we are off and running here from Fitzpatrick Stadium. A paramount collision between Portland Hearts of Pine and Fort Wayne. A turn, plays it forward. Bang, drags it to goal and Bernt Shipman lunges on top of it. Fort Wayne looking to show something on the other side now. Jordan plays it forward. Service inside! Picked out from a tight angle! And Fort Wayne are up front! A long dry spell for Tague Healy, but he's on to the score sheet. Gaffar made a really good half-space run here, looking to go in. Healy, look more – Fort Wayne with an early strike to take the lead. Tague Healy getting back on the board after a dry spell. And here he is on the ball now. Tague Healy drags it wide! Rolls it back to Abudur, feeds it to the middle. Healy turns, sends it wide for Smith. Smith finds Kabiru Gaffar. Smith from the corner, sends it in for Abudur! It's picture perfect for Fort Wayne! 2-0 to the visitors! What a great team build that this goal really came into fruition, starting all the way back within their goalkeeper and then building what they're doing really well is their goalkeepers being their pivot, allowing their center backs to go wide, creating numerical superiority down these flanks, which they're exposing. They're going down the left flank, switch the point of attack, quality service in, and then free header right on top of it. Ball drilled in. Straight up. Kamara tries to get underneath it. It's a touch. Abudur clears, and there's the halftime whistle. I love the tactical side of the sport, but at the end of the day, it is cruel, and sometimes it doesn't matter how much possession or touches you have, you're not going to generate the points where it matters. Well, it's such an interesting thing, right? Because as a coach, you have your philosophies, your approach to how you want to attack a game, and sometimes you can check those boxes and still lose games, but the idea is if you're checking those boxes consistently, then more games are going to go your way than they won't. But sometimes that can be tough to convince to a professional when the results maybe in a row aren't going your way, as this one takes a deflection, nearly finds its way through. Tay Keeley once again on the hunt, and maybe once again was close to scoring a goal he wasn't intending to shoot. Keeley, another great individual action, getting in the wide channel, just putting it in a dangerous spot, and it seems as Morse made a phenomenal reaction, say watching it live, it looked like it ricocheted off of his own player. So a corner kick for Fort Wayne as Emerson Nieto will drill this one in. Turn to goal by Boettcher, but off target. Keeley, pickpocket, has Boettcher running. He'll play it forward to him. Boettcher, with some steam, now stutters, has a hit, caught by Hunter Morse. And Ollie Wright, here they all come. Wright, J.T. Camara. So now you bring in the big guns and hope that that can push you over the edge. But now Clarence Abudor, one of the two goal scorers in this game for Fort Wayne, cuts it to Keeley. He's the other one! Pristine from Keeley. Keeley and Abudor, what a night these two are having. And Tay Keeley's going to run over to his family here. The New Hampshire kid cooking in Maine. So two more changings taking place here as Tay Keeley will come to the bench along with Jaden Smith. So Oyatunde will sub on for Smith, and Keeley, the man with the brace, will see his night come to an end, and what a night it was for him. Those substitutions brought to you by Springer's Jewelers. The other player who's subbing into the game, by the way, is the other roster addition for Fort Wayne this week, Cameron Lacy, a guy who has seen just about every layer that you can have in the USL pyramid. Was last with Asheville City this season, a team that made a good run not only in their league play but also gave 1 Knoxville everything they could handle in the US Open Cup. But Lacy has played in USL League One with Lexington. He's played in the USL Championship with San Antonio. He's also played in MLS Next Pro with Minnesota United FC2. So a well-traveled striker from Miami. And some added competition in that number 9 spot. Deosh across the middle. It's crashed through for goal number 4 for Fort Wayne. Just minutes after stepping onto the pitch, making his debut with Fort Wayne, Cameron Lacy showing up big time. Holley right. Plays it forward. Hata with a nice turn and a point to the spot is awarded. Tiago Deosh grabbing the jersey of A.G. Hata. Ends up in the air. Let's get a look at it. This is the creativity, what we're needing from Portland to be really dangerous in these moments, being unpredictable. The yellow card is given to Tiago Deosh. Brought to you by the Law Offices of Joe Bornstein. Who else but Holley Wright to take it. Up against Burt Shipman. And he rips it home. One back, courtesy of Holley Wright. This Portland Hearts of Pine goal brought to you by Oakhurst Dairy. Holley Wright, what a breath of fresh air from him coming in. Really confident build up. Great hit. Goalkeeper. Mara turns it to goal. And the final whistle sounds. Both teams hunting for confidence. Confidence acquired for Fort Wayne.