HARTFORD CITY FC WELCOME SYRACUSE FC TO OAKWOOD SOCCER PARK THIS WEEKEND

Hartford, Conn. – After a heartbreaking 2-1 loss at Valeo FC over Memorial Day Weekend, Hartford City FC (2-1-1, 7 points) get back to action this Saturday, June 1^st as they host Syracuse FC (2-2-0, 6 points). The match will be played at Oakwood Soccer Park in Portland, CT and will kick off at 7pm.

MATCH INFORMATION

Fans looking to purchase tickets for Saturday’s match can in person at Oakwood Soccer Park (521 Glastonbury Turnpike, Portland, CT, 06480) when gates open approximately one hour before kickoff, or online by searching Hartford City FC on Soccerstub.com. Tickets cost $10 for Adults and all children under 12 get in for free.

The match will be live streamed via Hartford City FC’s Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/HartfordCityFC), going live at 6:45pm with broadcaster JJ Duke handling Play-by-Play duties. Highlights on the match will be available on the teams’ social media channels in the days following.

LAST TIME OUT

Hartford City fell behind early at Valeo FC just six minutes into last Saturday’s match after Ben Kelly scored for the hosts. But Jake Williams leveled things up inside of ten minutes, picking up his first goal of the season and third total goal contribution. HCFC strung together a sequence of chances in the first few minutes of the second half when Evan Jones smashed a volley on frame, only to see Valeo FC goalie Leonard Seidel save it and just moments later, Williams nearly snuck a free kick home as well.

But Valeo would win the match in dramatic fashion after hardly testing HCFC throughout the second half as Michael Echavarria blasted a half-volley from the penalty spot from a corner kick in the third minute of second half stoppage time. The Colts had multiple chances to level the score in the final minutes when Evan Southern was denied by Seidel and both Colin Goodhines and Griffin Tomas had efforts cleared off the line by the Valeo defense. It was the first loss of the season for the Colts and the third straight regular season match that the club has dropped to Valeo, as HCFC lost twice to Massachusetts based club in the span of five days last year, 1-0 on the road on June 7 and 2-1 at home on June 11.

WELCOME BACK TO OAKWOOD

Due to Trinity Health Stadium being unavailable on Saturday, Hartford City will call Oakwood Soccer Park their home this weekend but it is not the first time that the Colts have played at this facility. Hartford City FC played all of their 2021 regular season home matches at Oakwood in the first NPSL season after the COVID pandemic and had some very good success in their short stint at the facility, going 3-1-1 during that time. And for Hartford City manager Louis Beddouri, the last time he played on this field as a member of the Colts was when he scored a screamer of a volley from an acute angle against Valeo in a 3-1 victory back on July 3, 2021, which saw the goal go viral on social media.

ABOUT OUR OPPONENT

This has been the most successful start to a season that Syracuse FC have had in many NPSL seasons, earning the most wins in a season since picking up three in 2018, and the most amount of points the club has accrued in any season playing in the North Atlantic Conference since moving over from the Midwest Region ahead of the 2022 season. After going a combined 0-10-10 in their first two seasons in this conference, the Central New York based club picked up wins against Valeo, a 2-1 victory at home on May 12, and last weekend at Kingston Stockade when Riley Williams scored an 88^th minute winner from a 25-yard free kick to secure a 2-1 win.

Keep an eye out for the team’s leading scorer Owen Cheney as the Colgate product has bagged three goals this season, twice in the victory over Valeo and tallied the first half equalizer last weekend at Kingston. The club also returns 2022 NPSL All-Conference honoree Isaac Borden in the midfield along with several long serving players for the club.

May 31 at 10:07 am