Hartford City Football Club continued their strong form in front of the home fans on a sweltering Sunday afternoon, notching a 2-0 win over Osner’s FC and securing back-to-back clean sheets.
The match began with Hartford on the front foot. In the 5th minute, Pearse O’Brien’s tight-angle cross forced a spill from the Osner’s goalkeeper that fell kindly to Smith Halloran. His improvised side volley from six yards rattled the crossbar in what would’ve been a highlight-reel opener. Moments later, Lorcan Mitchell came close, firing a half volley just wide after a deflected cross dropped to him at the edge of the area.
Mitchell remained a constant threat. In the 14th minute, he was played in quickly by a clever Michael Gouvin throw-in and nearly beat the onrushing keeper with a lofted effort that bounced narrowly wide.
Osner’s first real threat came in the 18th minute when a ball slipped behind the defense, but Vincenzo Diliberti’s recovery and Nate DiLoreto’s positioning closed down the 1v1 opportunity. DiLoreto was again the hero just before halftime, diving to his left to deny a penalty in stoppage time and keep the match scoreless at the break.
The second half saw Hartford again dictate play. Halloran set up O’Brien in the 51st minute for a close-range chance, but the Osner’s goalkeeper was up to the task. At the hour mark, O’Brien returned the favor by slipping in Gouvin, who fired into the side netting.
Osner’s nearly took the lead in the 63rd minute with another breakaway, but DiLoreto stood tall once again with a massive 1v1 save to preserve the clean sheet.
Hartford finally broke through in the 83rd minute. Halloran stood over a free kick from 23 yards and buried it low into the bottom corner—on the goalkeeper’s side—for a deserved lead. Just five minutes later, after losing possession, Halloran immediately pressed to win the ball back, then combined with Troy Miller on a slick 1-2 before calmly finishing past the goalkeeper to seal a 2-0 victory.
Long Island
In brutal conditions and with heavy legs from Sunday’s win, Hartford City FC battled to a hard-earned 1-1 draw on the road against American Soccer Club NY. The result, while not flashy, was a critical point in the standings — one that clinches a home playoff match for the Hartford City squad with two games to spare.
Hartford had to absorb pressure early, and Nate DiLoreto came up big in just the 2nd minute, making a sharp kick save from a tight angle to keep the game scoreless. In the 19th minute, American SC’s dangerous counterattack finally paid off. A quick break led to a pinpoint cross and a one-touch finish at the back post to give the home side a 1-0 lead.
Hartford looked to respond through Troy Miller, who was lively down the right. In the 24th minute, Ronan O’Brien fed Miller out wide, and after cutting inside with his left foot, his strike hit the side netting. Moments later in the 27th, Andrew Bilbie picked up a loose ball in midfield and split the defense with a creative outside-the-foot pass to Miller, but his first touch around the goalkeeper took him too wide, and the chance sailed over the crossbar. Bilbie tried his luck from distance in the 41st minute, but his shot was comfortably saved.
Just before the half, Nick Washington played a clever ball into the path of Matteo Azambuja, whose heavy first touch allowed the keeper to smother the chance. Then in stoppage time, ASC nearly doubled the lead with a curling ball over the top and a dangerous volley, but DiLoreto again came up with a crucial fingertip save.
Finally, in the 45+8th minute, after a foul at the top of the box, Ronan O’Brien stepped up and curled a stunning free kick into the top corner — the last kick of the half and a perfect way to level the match at 1-1.
The second half was less open, as fatigue and the oppressive heat took its toll on both teams. Long Island created a few half-chances via long throws, corner kicks, and direct balls into the box, but Hartford’s back line stood tall.
With just 16 players available, and 10 of them having played significant minutes on Sunday, Hartford understandably lacked attacking punch late in the game but showed impressive resilience and composure to see out the draw.
Hartford now looks to secure home field advantage throughout the playoffs with a tie or win against Osner’s FC on Saturday, June 28th in Brooklyn.
