Things in Hartford couldn't get much worse after last Saturday nights 3-0 loss at heated rival Rhode Island FC. Not only was the team dominated, they also looked lethargic and sat near the bottom of the USL Championship Eastern Conference table.
Last night the boys in Green and Blue put that loss behind them beating the hottest team in the league Las Vegas Lights 2-1.
Hartford came out flying creating 2 early chances. Mamadou Dieng and Michee Ngalina both were through on goal but were unable to beat Las Vegas keeper Raiko Arozarena who was stellar on the night.
With Hartford on the front foot a long ball out to Vegas forward Khori Bennett saw the Lights take the 1-0 lead in the 10th minute. Bennett was able to beat Hartford keeper Renan Ribeiro shocking the Hartford fans in attendance and players on the field.
With unfortunate results and unlucky bounces going against them most of this year, you maybe could justify Hartford hanging their heads and feeling sorry for themselves......The exact opposite happened. After going down 1-0, Hartford looked even sharper and only trailed for 15 minutes.
Left Back Emmanuel Samadia found himself wide open on the left flank and delivered a lovely ball to Mamadou Dieng who rose up high in the Hartford night heading the equalizing goal into the top corner in the 25th minute.
Hartford created many more chances in the first half, Anderson Asiedu was forced to come off due to injury and lightning bolt winger Deshane Beckford came in for Asiedu. With a slight change of shape and personnel Hartford became more dangerous for the rest of the match.
With the game tied 1 apiece Hartford found a break through in the 53rd minute. Las Vegas sloppy distribution at the back was their undoing. Hartford dynamo Michee Ngalina took advantage of the Lights mistake breaking in 1 v 1 with Arozarena and firing the 2nd goal past the Las Vegas net minder. Ngalina set the Trinity Health Stadium fans in a frenzy with his team leading 8th goal and he topped it off with his signature hand spring double flip.
With Las Vegas pushing for an equalizer Ngalina got in behind the Lights defense again but his effort rattled the post late in the match. Hartford was able to manage the rest of the match extremely well and Las Vegas was unable to score giving Hartford a much needed 2-1 victory.
In the post game press conference players Michee Ngalina, Emmanuel Samadia, Jordan Scarlett, and manager Brendan Burke all stressed that the team has a fighting spirit and will be pushing for a playoff spot for the remainder of the season. Scarlett and Burke inparticularly said that Burke's message all week was to play free, have fun and play a full 90 minutes.
This was a much needed win for Hartford if they have ambition in earning a play off spot. It doesn't get any easier next week with Louisville City coming to Trinity Health Stadium next Saturday night. The response from Hartford was admirable and is another example of a team that has the talent to make a run, and are especially tough to beat at home.
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