Late-Game Heroics Secure Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Victory Over Louisville City
When the Tampa Bay Rowdies (7-4-3) and Louisville City F.C. (10-2-2) face off, there is no such thing as a boring match!
Last night the two teams faced off in a game that lived up to the standards this rivalry has created. The Rowdies and Louisville put on a physical, back-and-forth performance that had the fans on the edge of their seats. In the end, the Rowdies came away with a 3-2 victory.
The Rowdies jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first half thanks to a goal by Cal Jennings in the 30th minute setup by Joshua Perez, and a PK goal by Manuel Arteaga in the 36th minute. These two goals came as a result of the team controlling possession in the first half and creating several strong chances for themselves. Jennings attributed this surge to the team having a heavy attack mentality.
“You have to be (relentless),” Jennings said. “If you’re not then the other team is on the forefront. They’re putting you under pressure. They’re making us defend. So my mentality, and I know a lot of other attackers on the team, is “OK let’s get us in behind. Let’s get into the other team’s spots. Let’s get a lot of service.” Because that makes teams uncomfortable.”
Despite the multiple-goal lead, Louisville would not go away. A goal by Aiden McFadden in stoppage time cut the deficit in half before the end of the first half. Louisville would then build off that momentum early in the second half when Gonzalez Asensi scored in the 51st minute.
After that, the game turned into a stalemate. Both teams traded momentum with prime scoring chances. This even play can be seen on the stat sheet. Both teams had six shots on net and the Rowdies only had one more shot, 14, then Louisville, 13.
Besides earning a win over the top team in the Eastern Conference, this game was also notable because of Rowdies’ head coach Robbie Neilson’s selection to play many of the Rowdies’ younger players. Guys like Damian Rivera and Nathan Worth saw playing time, while other young academy players like Nick Scubis and newly turned pro Christian Ortiz were on the bench.
Neilson said that all of the young players being on the roster was a sign that they would soon be ready to be the team’s future starting players.
“Over the past four or five months, their performance in trains has been getting better and better and better, Neilson said. “And they’re getting closer and closer and they’re gonna start.”
Neilson’s faith in these players would pay off for the Rowdies as one of them would end up becoming the hero of the game. In the 92nd minute Rivera, who was subbed on in the 75th minute, one-timed a cross from Pacifique Niyongabire into the back of the net to give the Rowdies the win.
Rivera said that before coming into the game, he received a boost of confidence from Neilson.
“He actually told me to go in there and he told me I was going to get the winner, and I did that.” Rivera said.
Many Rowdies players, like Jordan Doherty, believe that beating Louisville was a huge statement win for the team.
“Just shows that we can compete with the best,” Doherty said. “That we’re one of the best teams in the league. And we believe that!”
The Rowdies will be back in action on Friday at Hartford Athletic.
