Rowdies End Spring Season with 1-1 Draw against Jacksonville Armada
June 11, 2016 - North American Soccer League (NASL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. the Jacksonville Armada
(Tampa Bay Rowdies)
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. (June 11, 2016) - The Tampa Bay Rowdies won't win the Spring Season, but they've positioned themselves well for the Fall Season ahead after earning a 1-1 draw against the Jacksonville Armada FC in sweltering conditions in Jacksonville on Saturday afternoon.
"I'm frustrated by the result," Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell said.
"We created lots of opportunities. Their keeper made a couple of good saves and we had some bad finishes. I'm frustrated that we couldn't get the win, especially for the fans who made the long trip up and didn't stop supporting us for the full 90 minutes."
Tampa Bay entered the day with an outside shot at the Spring title, but needed to score at least six goals and win by five or more to pull ahead of the New York Cosmos. Instead, Tampa Bay finished on 16 points and will be two behind whichever team wins the Spring Season.
After a dull first half, the Rowdies were dealt a fortunate hand when Armada FC defender Shawn Nicklaw was shown a straight red card in the 46th minute, but it was Jacksonville that scored first, despite the man disadvantage.
Junior Sandoval's spectacular long-range strike in the 52nd minute put the Armada FC ahead, but it was matches by a long-range goal from Junior Burgos in the 84th minute to pull Tampa Bay even.
"It was a bizarre game," Campbell said. "I almost felt like we were the home team because they were sitting so deep and defending. They were letting us have the ball and that's where we have to capitalize on the couple of chances that we created."
Jacksonville's goal was something of a sucker punch, coming so soon after the Rowdies have been given a man advantage.
Campbell wasted no time in trying to turn the match around, showing aggressiveness with his substitutions as the Rowdies chased the game.
Tommy Heinemann entered the match for Ben Sweat just after the goal as Tampa Bay pulled a defender in favor of more attacking options. At the same time, Jacksonville showed its intent to defend for the rest of the match, giving defender Anthony Wallace a debut as he replaced forward Alhassane Keita.
It took a while for Tampa Bay to find its equalizer, but Joe Cole set up Burgos for a tremendous goal from outside the box in the 84th minute to tie the match. It was Burgos' first goal of the season, but he could have had more as the Rowdies looked likely to win the match in the dying minutes before eventually running out of time.
Jacksonville goalkeeper Miguel Gallardo made a diving save on an effort from Cole in the 87th minute and watched a Burgos shot dribble just wide of the post in stoppage time. Deeper into stoppage time, Darnell King jumped onto a loose ball in the box, but his first-time effort sailed over the crossbar as the Rowdies settled for a point.
The Rowdies now move forward to Wednesday's Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Fourth Round match against the Columbus Crew SC in Ohio in a few short days.
Tampa Bay opens the Fall Season against Jacksonville at home on July 2. For tickets call (727)222-2000.
Images from this story
 Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. the Jacksonville Armada |
North American Soccer League Stories from June 11, 2016
- Indy Pulls off "Miracle at the Mike" to Move into First Place - NASL
- Minnesota United Finishes Spring Season with 3-1 Win - Minnesota United FC
- Improbable 4-1 Victory Puts Indy Eleven on Cusp of Spring Season Title - Indy Eleven
- Haworth Free-Kick Earns Crucial Point in Spring Season Finale - Ottawa Fury FC
- RailHawks Downed by Indy Eleven - North Carolina FC
- Rowdies End Spring Season with 1-1 Draw against Jacksonville Armada - Tampa Bay Rowdies
- Short-Handed Armada Draws, 1-1, with Rowdies in Spring Finale - Jacksonville Armada FC
- Eddies Host Strikers in Spring Season Finale at Clarke Field - FC Edmonton
- Indy Eleven Boosts Attack with Signing of Guinean International Forward Souleymane Youla - Indy Eleven
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