Rowdies Battle Tormenta to 1-1 Draw
Published on March 5, 2022 under United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
ST PETERSBURG, FL - With their season ticket holders in attendance, the Tampa Bay Rowdies rallied late in their preseason finale to finish 1-1 with South Georgia Tormenta FC at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night. Substitute Dayonn Harris notched the equalizer for the Rowdies in the dying minutes after a flurry of chances in the second half.
"There was some fantastic bits of play in the first half," said Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins. "A lot of what we saw in training this week was put out onto the field. Losing a goal from a set piece is something that can happen. I don't think the score line was maybe a fair reflection of how we played. The second half was a bit disjointed. There was a lot of changes to try and inject more life and get back to the way we were in the first half. Lots of positives, a few things we obviously still need to dig in and work on, but being able to score late is a great sign of our team never giving up and always going to the final whistle."
Lewis Hilton looked to put the Rowdies up only seven minutes into the match off a free kick. After Steevan Dos Santos was clipped down in the middle of the field, Hilton struck the dead ball from 30 yards out toward the top right corner. However, Tormenta's keeper managed to make his first of several quality saves on the night.
Laurence Wyke came close to grabbing the go-ahead goal in the 21st minute, as he got on the end of a rebound at the top of the box. His effort was deflected on its way to goal and nearly slipped into the top right corner but hit the woodwork instead to stay out.
The visitors then jumped ahead in the 26th minute, capitalizing on a corner kick after a poor giveaway by the Rowdies. Tampa Bay failed to clear the service into the box, allowing Tormenta to have a second chance at the ball, which they headed past keeper CJ Cochran.
The Rowdies dominated possession in the second half but continued to struggle in the final third. With the Rowdies making eight total changes themselves, the second half was disjointed, but the Green and Gold still mounted a handful of promising efforts on goal. Captain Sebastian Guenzatti guided a fantastic overhead kick onto frame in the 62nd minute only for Tormenta's keeper to rise up and push the ball over the bar at the last second.
As the match neared the final whistle, the Rowdies' urgency increased to create several more chances. Kyle Greig had a dipping header pushed over the bar in the 85th minute. A minute later, Juan Tejada was denied at point-blank range.
Tejada did end up playing a key role in the equalizer. As a Tormenta defender waited for a ball to come down, Tejada stepped in to head the ball away and take it in stride. Tejada then fed the ball to Harris on the right edge of the box, allowing Harris to cut inside before poking the ball into the back of the net.
With the preseason behind them, the Rowdies now turn their focus onto next week's USL Championship season opener. The Rowdies will kick off the season at Birmingham Legion FC on Sunday, March 13, with kickoff set for 5pm ET on ESPN2. They then return to Al Lang for their home opener on Saturday, March 19 against Indy Eleven at 7:30pm ET. Tickets for the home opener and all Rowdies home games are available.
United Soccer League Championship Stories from March 5, 2022
- Rising Wins Twice, 3-2, and 5-1, to Close out Preseason - Phoenix Rising FC
- Rowdies Battle Tormenta to 1-1 Draw - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Riverhounds Complete Undefeated Preseason with 4-0 Win over WVU - Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC
- Republic FC Ends Preseason with 3-2 Victory over Monterey Bay FC - Sacramento Republic FC
- LouCity Stumbles in Preseason Finale at St. Louis - Louisville City FC
- Memphis 901 FC Signs Goalkeeper Drew Romig - Memphis 901 FC
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