PORTLAND, Maine. – Taig Healy had the first two-goal game of his professional career – with a large contingent of family and friends in the stands at Fitzpatrick Stadium – to lead Fort Wayne Football Club to a 4-1 victory over the Portland Hearts of Pine.
Healy, who hails from nearby South Hampton, New Hampshire, now has 10 goals in 21 USL League One matches. The first-year pro hadn’t scored in his previous six league matches, but his big night snapped the drought and propelled Fort Wayne FC back up the standings.
Fort Wayne FC came into the night having lost four straight and 5 of 6. But on Saturday, it set a club record for most goals scored in a professional match.
Clarence Awoudor scored the first goal of his professional career and set up Healy’s second goal. Kameron Lacey, who joined the club Friday, scored less than two minutes after checking into the match for Healy during the second half.
Bernd Schipmann had two saves, but he was bested by Ollie Wright on an 86th minute penalty kick after a Tiago Dias foul in the box. Fort Wayne FC had already built a four-goal lead, though, in front of 6,368 spectators.
“I’m extremely proud of the boys tonight,” Fort Wayne FC coach Mike Avery said. “This is an incredibly difficult place to play, and hats off to the entire Portland Hearts of Pine community for what they’ve built here. We were resilient and tough tonight and we punished in critical moments. That is a real sign of growth for the team, and gives us something to build on in a really busy and important week.”
This was the second meeting between Fort Wayne FC (8-7-6) and Portland (5-10-8). Fort Wayne FC won 3-0 at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on May 6, when Lilian Ricol scored twice and Healy once. Fort Wayne FC is in ninth place in the 17-team table, only two points back of AV Alta FC for the eighth and final playoff position.
Fort Wayne FC has 11 matches remaining in its first regular season in USL League One.
Healy opened the scoring Saturday in the eighth minute with a tough-angled shot from just outside the right side of the penalty area, with an assist going to JP Jordan. The goal came on Fort Wayne FC’s first shot on target of the match and the shot eluded leaping goalkeeper Hunter Morse, who finished with three saves.
Healy hadn’t scored in his previous seven matches, including the Prinx Tires USL Cup competition, and now has 11 goals in 24 matches overall. He now has sole possession of the club’s all-time goal-scoring record, including USL League Two; Ricol, now playing in USL Championship for San Antonio FC, had nine goals in a Fort Wayne FC kit.
Awoudor made it 2-0 with a close-range header in the 40th minute, set up by a Jayden Smith cross from the right side. It was Awoudor’s 22nd match as a professional across all competitions. Awoudor’s goal came on Fort Wayne FC’s second shot on target of the match.
Healy made it 3-0 with a rocketing shot from the top of the box in the 61st minute, after a pass from Awoudor.
“He put on a show with two fantastic goals,” Avery said of Healy.
Saturday was Fort Wayne FC’s first match since a 2-1 loss to Chattanooga Red Wolves SC at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium on Aug. 15. On Friday, Fort Wayne FC bolstered its lineup by adding Logan Neidlinger and Lacey. Neidlinger, a 20-year-old from Indianapolis who arrived on loan from USL Championship-side Indy Eleven, substituted into the match during the second half, shortly before Lacey checked in and scored on a header after a Dias cross in the 77th minute. Lacey, 25, was a free agent who signed with Fort Wayne FC for the remainder of the season.
Fort Wayne FC is back home for a match Wednesday at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium against the Richmond Kickers. It’s a Meijer Family Night and also Kids Club Night.
On Saturday, Fort Wayne FC plays host to the New York Cosmos and that match will be followed by fireworks. It’s College Night and those with college identification get $10 tickets at the door (but are reminded that parking must be purchased in advance.)
Note: Starting Monday, and only during September, library cards featuring Fort Wayne FC’s mascot, Friendly the Goalrilla, will be available. Click here to learn more.
Match photos
Taig Healy family and friends
Video highlights
Box score
FORT WAYNE FC 2-2-4
PORTLAND HEARTS OF PINE 0-1-1
August 29, 2026
At Fitzpatrick Stadium, Portland, Maine
Attendance: 6,368
RECORDS: FW 8-7-6; POR 5-10-8
GOALS: FW—Taig Healy 2, Clarence Awoudor, Kameron Lacey; POR—Ollie Wirght (PK).
ASSISTS: FW—JP Jordan, Jayden Smith, Clarence Awoudor, Tiago Dias; POR–None.
SAVES: FW—Bernd Schipmann 2; POR—Hunter Morse 3.
POSSESSION: FW—39.3%; POR—60.7%.
YELLOW CARDS: FW—Emerson Nieto, Tiago Dias, Logan Neidlinger; POR—Michel Poon-Angeron, Aboubacar Camara, Ollie Wright.
RED CARDS: FW—None; POR—None.
REFEREE: Amin Hadzic
About Fort Wayne Football Club
Fort Wayne Football Club, founded in 2019, is a professional soccer club playing its first season in USL League One in 2026. The club plays home matches at Ruoff Mortgage Stadium, which opened May 2, 2026, and is a soccer-specific venue. In pre-professional USL League Two, Fort Wayne Football Club won division titles in 2023, 2024 and 2025. For more information, visit FortWayneFC.com.
About United Soccer League
Founded in 1986, the United Soccer League (USL) is the largest and fastest-growing soccer organization in the United States, impacting more than 200 communities nationwide. The USL is the first and only organization to offer a comprehensive youth-to-professional pathway for both men and women under one ecosystem. This structure includes four men’s leagues: the newly announced, top-tier professional Division I league, the USL Championship (Division II), USL League One (Division III), and USL League Two (pre-professional). The women’s pathway includes the top-tier USL Super League (Division I), which debuted in 2024, and USL W League, the country’s leading pre-professional women’s league. The USL also oversees USL Academy, a progressive talent development platform, and USL Youth, a premier national youth platform.