Tormenta Survives Portland Maine
Tormenta FC traveled up I-95 to Portland, Maine for the first time as they would take on the home team, Portland Hearts of Pine at Fitzpatrick Stadium. Much like their first match earlier in the year it would be a physical back and forth kind of game. In this edition the game would end in a 1-1 draw that would see Tormenta down to 10 men for the last 14 minutes of regular plus 10 minutes of stoppage time.
In the first half there were multiple early chances for Portland that were sniffed out by Tormenta defense and a nice safe by Austin Pack off a corner. The teams would keep the ball near mid pitch for a good portion of the 1st half of the game minus a few chances. Tormenta would catch a break in the 40th minute when Austin Pack would drop a cross that he went up for and it would bounce right to Mikey Lopez of Portland who would bounce it off the post. Tormenta would get close in the 43rd minute when Oscar Jimenez would get a pass back from Cabral but would hit the crossbar and go just over. Portland however, would grab the first goal of the game in the 2nd minute of stoppage time on a shot by John Kamara that would ricochet of a Tormenta Defender and into the back of the net. And that is how we would go into the half with Portland up 1-0 over Tormenta.
After some back and forth to begin the 2nd half Tormenta would tie the game up in the 64th minute. The goal scored by Johnathan Nyandjo, his first of the season, came off a cross that Niall Reid-Stephen would lay up to the center of the box for Nyandjo who would bounce it off the back a Portland defender. Pack came up with a save in the 69th minute when Portland sent a cross into the box that Azaad Liadi would head right at goal. Callum Stretch would be shown his second yellow card of the game on a jump ball that would result in a red card and sending Tormenta to 10 men in the 74th minute. Portland would quickly try to take advantage of the man advantage but a through ball would not be connected by Liadi in the center of the box and would bounce harmless to Pack. Nyandjo would come close to getting his second of the game off a set piece header that would bounce off Portlands goalie.
After alot of action in stoppage time the teams could not be seperated and it would end in a 1-1 draw. Tormenta would come away with a much needed point against Portland who sits 1 point ahead of them in the standings at 10th. Tormenta now has 5 points in the last 4 games of league play and sits 11th in standings 4 points outside of 8th place having a game at hand to Richmond. Can Tormenta continue to build on the recent play when they return home on Saturday July 12th to face One Knoxville SC?