Hartford Athletic put in a dominant performance to advance to the second round of the U.S. Open Cup with a 3-0 win over the New York Shockers on Tuesday night at Trinity Health Stadium.
Hartford came out of the gates hot, controlling the ball and generating good chances. After just 11 minutes, the home side broke through. Jonathan Jimenez running through the channel centered beautiful to a waiting Addie Obalola whose left footed strike flew past the keeper for the opening goal of the night and his first for the club.
The Boys in Green continued to control the run of play generating an overwhelming 82% of possession in the opening stanza. In the 38th minute they doubled the lead, when Michee Ngalina played a delightful ball to a streaking Mamadou Dieng who got past the Shockers back line and beat the keeper with a beautiful left-footed strike. It was Dieng’s first of the year and twelfth in all competitions. Hartford went into halftime with a 2-0 lead.
For most of the second half, Hartford continued to own possession, finishing the game at 79%. Finally, in the 87th minute, Ngalina put the game away, finishing a wonderful cross from Obalola to give Hartford their third and final goal of the evening.
Athletic will hit the road on Saturday as it resumes USL Championship play against Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at 7 PM. The Boys in Green return to Trinity Health Stadium on Saturday, March 29th at 2 PM against El Paso Locomotive. Tickets are on sale now, visit hartfordathletic.com/tickets to learn more.
Fast Stats
| HARTFORD | NEW YORK | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 15 | 1 |
| Shots On Target | 7 | 0 |
| Corners | 9 | 0 |
| Fouls | 7 | 8 |
| Offsides | 2 | 1 |
| Possession | 79.2% | 20.8% |
| Passing Accuracy | 91.2% | 61.9% |
| Saves | 0 | 4 |
Scoring Summary
| HARTFORD | NEW YORK |
|---|---|
| 12′ – Adewale Obalola (Jonathan Jimenez) | |
| 38′ – Mamadou Dieng (Michee Ngalina) | |
| 87′ – Ngalina (Obalola) |
Disciplinary Summary
| HARTFORD | NEW YORK |
|---|---|
| 73′ – Antonio Linge (Yellow) |
Lineups
| HARTFORD | NEW YORK |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 1 (GK) Ryan Henning (Tyler Brennan – 66′) |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 3 (DF) Antonio Lingue |
| 15 (DF) Joe Farrell | 10 (DF) Adel Cekic |
| 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett (C) | 14 (DF) Byron Drysdale (Anthony Rouse – 79′) |
| 22 (DF) TJ Presthus | 5 (DF) Thomas Sams |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston | 23 (MF) Seth Scarano (Kyle Macfarlane – 45′) |
| 17 (MF) Jonathan Jimenez (Junior Moreira – 70′) | 4 (MF) Elias Ehlin |
| 6 (MF) Beverly Makangila | 2 (MF) Dylan Maxon |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina (Spencer Gordon – 89′) | 6 (FW) Bilal Hersi (Rood Apolon – 72′) |
| 9 (FW) Mamadou Dieng (Kauan Ribeiro – 89′) | 9 (FW) Filippo Bellu |
| 81 (FW) Adewale Obalola | 11 (FW) Jackson Leon (Joseph DiPreta – 45′) |
