Scorpions Earn First Road Win; Beat Rowdies 2-1

Published on June 15, 2013 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
San Antonio Scorpions News Release


Scorpions' striker Hans Denissen fired a low drive into the back of the net in the 88th minute for the game-winning goal as the Scorpions earned their first win on the road, beating the Tampa Bay Rowdies 2-1 on Saturday.

After taking the lead in the first half thanks to a Blake Wagner goal, the Scorpions conceded the equalizer with ten minutes left to play, setting up what looked like a 1-1 draw. Denissen had other ideas however, and his goal with two minutes remaining sealed the three points for San Antonio.

The first half started fairly even before the Scorpions started to gather the higher percentage of possession. Despite controlling the tempo of the game and defending well when they needed to, they couldn't create that killer movement to give them a shot at scoring a goal. In the 24th minute, Rowdies midfielder Luke Mulholland fired the first meaningful shot on goal after some nice play, but Scorpions keeper Vuolo saved nicely.

The Scorpions came close in the 31st minute when a well constructed free kick led to Pat Phelan drilling a 35 yard shot on target, forcing a fine save from Restrepo. This would be one of the last dangerous attacks before Jay Needham's back pass led to an indirect free kick only six yards out.

The Scorpions then entered halftime with a 1-0 lead after Wagner scored from the indirect free kick. Needham was judged to have passed back to his keeper in the box, forcing Tampa keeper Diego Restrepo to use his hands. It looked a harsh call, but San Antonio took advantage nonetheless when Wagner blasted his shot through the 11 Rowdies on the goal line.

The Rowdies came into the second half with more fire and put the Scorpions under pressure right from the get go. In the 59th minute, Rowdies striker Georgi Hristov bent a left footed curler past the far post that would have marked a very special goal had it gone in. Tampa Bay continued to press for an equalizer during the half, and earned it when Carl Cort headed the ball past Vuolo and into the back of the net with ten minutes remaining.

The Rowdies were really pushing for the win, forcing the Scorpions to sit back and play on the counter. On loan Striker Eriq Zavaleta had a great chance to score the winner in the 87th minute when he found himself one on one with Restrepo but he shot was well saved. As the Rowdies continued to pressure, the Scorpions again played on the counter attack and Denissen fired his low shot past the diving keeper to seal the three points.

The win marks the first back-to-back victories for San Antonio in the spring season and keeps their hopes alive for the first place finish. Wagner's goal marked his second in as many games after his move into the midfield. The Scorpions return home to face FC Edmonton next week in another crucial NASL match.

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