Hartford Athletic needed to win three games in a week to clinch a spot in the USL playoffs for the first time since 2020.
It won at Tulsa last Saturday, but a 64th-minute goal from Tampa Bay’s Cal Jennings means Athletic will need some help on the season’s final day in order to make its playoff dreams come true.
Hartford earned a 2-2 draw on Wednesday night against the Tampa Bay Rowdies. The result kept Athletic (12-13-8, 44 points) a point back of North Carolina FC for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
Athletic opened the scoring on Wednesday, getting on the board with a rocket from Marcus Epps that found the bottom corner of the net in the 15th minute.
Tampa Bay answered on a free kick goal in the 20th by Leo Fernandes, but Hartford responded, as it has done so many times during its stirring playoff push. Mamadou Dieng found the back of the net off of a feed from Michee Ngalina just before the end of the first half, and Athletic entered the break with a 2-1 lead.
Jennings’ goal in the 64th minute helped Tampa Bay clinch a playoff spot.
Hartford must now win its final game of the season Saturday at Orange County SC, and hope for a draw or loss from North Carolina FC or Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC.
