Shorthanded Strikers Unable to Upend Rival Rowdies
Published on September 1, 2012 under North American Soccer League (NASL)
Fort Lauderdale Strikers News Release
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (Sept. 1, 2012) - The Fort Lauderdale Strikers (9W-6T-9L) lost 3-0 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies (11W-6T-7L) in front of 5,659 fans at Lockhart Stadium on Saturday night. Fort Lauderdale were put short-handed in the 19th minute when midfielder Michael Tetteh was shown a red card for violent conduct after he retaliated against Tampa Bay's Andres Arango for a foul. The Strikers nearly took leads in the first and second half before the Rowdies broke through in the 78th minute. The Strikers are now in fifth place after a win by Carolina in their match. Fort Lauderdale faces Puerto Rico next Saturday at Lockhart Stadium on Sept. 8.
"You can't expect a team to play 70 minutes down a man and hang on like that, but I'm proud of our guys effort," said Strikers head coach Daryl Shore.
After the red card was issued to Tetteh, the Strikers continued to press and had several opportunities to score. Coming out of half time, forward Andy Herron was subbed on for Abe Thompson and produced a scoring chance almost immediately. Herron was put through on goal behind the Rowdies defense and put the ball in the net. Unfortunately Herron was whistled for being offside and the Strikers were forced to regroup.
The match stayed tight until the 78th minute when Raphael Cox scored for Tampa Bay off a Luke Mulholland corner kick. Takuya Yamada flicked a header into the small area and Cox redirected the ball past Matt Glaeser.
Pressing for the tie, the Strikers were left vulnerable on the counter attack and were victimized twice. Once by Frankie Sanfilippo in the 82nd minute and again in second half stoppage time by Carl Cort.
"It was a must win game for us to get into second place," said Mark Anderson. "We lost our shape a little bit in the second half and they scored off a corner. It's disappointing and I think the ref spoiled it a little bit, but now we have to look forward to Puerto Rico."
The Strikers will finish off their three game home stand against the Puerto Rico Islanders on Saturday, Sept. 8, at 7:30p.m. at Lockhart Stadium. The game will be highlighted by the "Strikers Legacy Night" presented by MetroPCS. Tickets for the match will be $5 for general admission and $7 for reserved seating. Tickets for Strikers home games are available by calling (954) 606-0400 or by going to Strikers.com . Follow the Strikers on Facebook and twitter @FTLStrikers . All Strikers NASL games are broadcast online at Strikers.com/live
North American Soccer League Stories from September 1, 2012
- Stars Tie League Leading Scorpions 1-1 - Minnesota United FC
- Islanders in Third Place After Falling to RailHawks - Puerto Rico Islanders
- Scorpions Earn Road Draw against Minnesota Stars FC - San Antonio Scorpions
- RailHawks Defeat Puerto Rico 3 - 1 - North Carolina FC
- Shorthanded Strikers Unable to Upend Rival Rowdies - Fort Lauderdale Strikers
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