Rowdies Battle Back for a Point in Lexington
May 24, 2025 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
LEXINGTON, KY - The Tampa Bay Rowdies notched a second-half goal to earn a point in their road contest against Lexington SC on Saturday night. Forward Manuel Arteaga recorded Tampa Bay's pivotal equalizer in the 1-1 result, marking his first goal of the 2025 USL Championship season.
"I think getting a point was important for general morale and making sure we got something for all the hard work that we're putting in," said Rowdies Interim Head Coach Steve Coleman. "We're not perfect, but we're certainly trying to get better every week. Sometimes we haven't maybe got what we deserved in games, and tonight I think we got something that we deserved. It's an important point, it's a small step forward, and we'll continue to make steps forward."
Lexington were the aggressors in the opening stages of the match. Rowdies Defender Forrest Lasso kept the hosts at bay with a goa line clearance on a strike from the center of the box by Michael Adedokun.
Eventually, Lexington pulled ahead in the match just past the half hour mark. After a turnover in the Rowdies defensive end, Lexington's Marcus Epps played a quick pass over the defensive line for Forster Ajago to deposit into the back of the net with a left-footed shot.
For the fourth time this season, the Rowdies found themselves trailing at the halftime break. The Rowdies ended up on the losing end of the result in those previous matches, but tonight they battled to come back and earn a point.
In the 62nd minute, the Rowdies capitalized on a corner-kick opportunity to level the match. Midfielder Leo Fernandes played a short corner to teammate Ollie Bassett, who flicked it back to Fernandes in open space. The Rowdies veteran then placed a left-footed cross on a dime to the back post for Arteaga to nod home.
"[Set pieces] are something we work hard on," said Coleman. "They're an opportunity to create goal scoring chances. When you defend for long periods, you need to make sure you get what you can from what you have. The boys have done a good job to create a goal from not a lot. It's a really composed finish from [Manuel Arteaga] at the back post. It's good for him to get that league monkey off his back after such a long time."
After conceding six goals in their last two league matches, the Rowdies worked tirelessly in the second half to ensure Lexington only came away with only one goal on the night. The Rowdies finished the night with five blocked shots and 30 clearances, while goalkeeper Ethan Bandre produced an outstanding save in the 82nd minute to deny a long-range blast from Nick Firmino.
"We made it hard to break us down," said Coleman. "A lot of [Lexington's] shots were low percentage shots and we were able to get blocks on a lot of them. That's what our defenders do the best, protecting the goal. But everyone was a part of that tonight. It was a big team effort to get the point on the road. It's not easy to win on the road."
The Rowdies were on the verge of finding a winner and claiming all three points in the final stages. Substitute Endri Mustali and Arteaga combined well on a counter attack to create an opportunity for Rowdies wingback Nick Moon behind Lexington's back line, but Moon sent his potential winner wide of the goal.
Next up, the Rowdies return home to host South Georgia Tormenta FC in Round Two of the USL Jägermeister Cup Group Stage on Saturday, May 31 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary
LEX - Ajago (Epps), 31'
TBR - Arteaga (Fernandes), 62'
Caution Summary
LEX - Greene, Yellow Card, 35'
LEX - Burks, Yellow Card, 72'
Lineups
Rowdies: Bandre, Castellanos, Lasso, Guillen, Fernandes (Fernandes, 86'), Crisostomo, Vancaeyezeele, Bassett, Bodily (Skinner, 72'), Pacius (Moon, 72'), Arteaga
Rowdies Bench: Campisi, DeJesus, Skinner, Moon, Hilton, Worth, Mustali, Rodriguez
Lexington: Ketterer, Greene (Burke, 69'), Hafferty, Burks, Sargeant, Djeffal, Midence (Goldthorp, 89'), Firmino, Epps, Adedokun, Ajago
Lexington Bench: Thompson, Gibert, Williams, Caceres, Goldthorp, Burke, Mbongue
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