July 30, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Birmingham Legion FC News Release
HARTFORD, CT Legion FC hit the road Saturday against Hartford Athletic, and as per usual, the road warriors delivered three points. Midfielder Enzo Martinez bagged a last-minute goal thanks to great offensive pressure from he and Marlon Santos to secure the hard-fought victory.
Not much happened in the first half of the game, with both sides trading attacks but not being able to find the back of the net. Birmingham’s best early chance came in the 17th minute – forward Juan Agudelo got behind Harford’s backline, beating defenders and finding midfielder Bruno Lapa in the box, but he could not get a shot off in time to capitalize.
The Magic City defense kept most of Harford’s possession in their own half but had a few dangerous chances in the second half. Their best chance came in the 88th minute, when a quick turnover in Hartford’s favor led to a shot to the bottom right corner that goalkeeper Matt VanOekel parried away with a diving save. Defensively, that was the story of the game. Birmingham’s backline and VanOekel, who recorded six saves on the night, kept the hope alive that led to a last-minute win.
VanOekel’s stellar performance tonight tallied up his career saves in the USL Championship to 300, making him the 9th player in USLC history to accomplish such a feat.
At the end of the match, the two sides looked as though they were going to split points. The Magic City squad had some magic in their pockets, though. In the first minute of extra time, thanks to excellent offensive pressure by forward Marlon Santos, Hartford’s goalkeeper Yannik Oettl erroneously gave the ball away to Martinez, who drove the ball into the box and fired it past the ‘keeper into the bottom right corner of the goal. And for the second time this season, the Three Sparks beat Hartford in extra time.
“It feels awesome,” said Martinez. “To work hard all game and to leave with all three points is great. The staff did a good job of preparing us for this situation and showing us that we need to push even in the last minutes, and it paid off today.
“Honestly, I think everything we do starts with our willingness to defend. The best games we played are because of that. It really starts with our forwards. And the rest of the team does the same. The more selfless running we do the better the team plays.”
Head Coach Tommy Soehn when asked about his team’s performance on the night: “Well, by the end…