Hartford Athletic‘s frenetic playoff push came to an end Saturday on the final day of the USL regular season, after wins by North Carolina FC and Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC clinched spots for those clubs.
Hartford needed a win and either North Carolina or Pittsburgh to lose or draw in order to clinch one of the final playoff spots in the East. Both clubs earned wins during the 7 p.m. game window Saturday, meaning Athletic knew as it kicked off against Orange County SC at 10:30 p.m. that it had missed out on the playoffs.
Orange County got goals from Ryan Doghman and Thomas Amang as it defeated Athletic, 3-2. Marcus Epps and Kyle Edwards scored for Hartford.
Despite narrowly missing out on the playoffs, this was an exceptional season for Hartford. The club finished 12-8-14 (W-D-L), with 44 points, the highest total in its six-year history.
Hartford lost just three of its final 16 games, embarking on a run that took them from second-to-last in the East to within a point of a playoff spot heading into Saturday’s games.
