Fort Wayne FC cruised to a 3–0 victory over Portland Hearts of Pine at home on Wednesday night, with Lilian Ricol scoring twice and Taig Healy adding a third to seal a comfortable USL League One win.

The first half was scoreless but far from uneventful. The referee's notebook filled quickly, with Portland's Emiliano Terzaghi picking up a yellow card in the 21st minute and teammate Ollie Wright following him in the 39th. Fort Wayne's Jayden Smith was also cautioned just before the break, in the 44th minute. Despite the rising tensions, neither side could find a breakthrough before halftime.

The second half was a different story — and it belonged to Ricol. The Frenchman broke the deadlock in the 54th minute, finishing from a Jayden Smith delivery to give Fort Wayne the lead. Smith, booked late in the first half, channeled his energy the right way after the restart. Ten minutes later, Ricol doubled the advantage, this time converting from a Bernd Schipmann pass to make it 2–0 in the 64th minute.

Portland had no answer. Healy put the result beyond doubt in the 70th minute, completing a devastating 16-minute stretch that produced all three goals.

The final 20 minutes were a fractious affair. Four more yellow cards were shown — two to each side — as Portland's frustration boiled over and Fort Wayne looked content to manage the game out. Mikey Lopez and Joshua Drack were booked for the visitors, while Tiago Dias and Michael Rempel saw yellow for the hosts. Ian Abbey also picked up a caution in the 83rd minute for Fort Wayne.

The emphatic win gives Fort Wayne FC valuable momentum as they look to establish themselves in the upper reaches of the League One table this spring.