Evan Conway Keeps Rowdies Perfect After Last Minute Goal In Duval
Recap:
After a late goal from Evan Conway, the Rowdies steal three points against Sporting Jax at the death and become the only perfect team undefeated in the league.
The best first chance of the game came from Sporting Jax, with Kieran Sadlier’s left-footed shot forcing a save from Austin Pack. Lewis Hilton had to shoulder off a Sporting Jax attacker looking for the rebound, and cleared it away.
The Rowdies played a slow, methodical attack, with the best chance of the first half coming from Sebastian Cruz.
Cruz’s right-footed shot, beat the Jacksonville goalkeeper Christian Olivares, but the shot rebounded off the left post, with Tampa Bay striker MD Myers just a step slow to get to the rebound.
Towards the end of the game, the Rowdies started attacking a lot more, with both Russell Cicerone and Pedro Dolabella getting good looks on goal.
With the game still deadlocked at 0-0, and with 5 minutes of added time, it was do or die for the Green and Gold.
With 30 seconds left in the game, a Charlie Ostrem cross found Evan Conway in the middle of the six-yard box, who blasted in a header, breaking the deadlock, sending both the players and away fans into celebration.
The Rowdies stole the points, and traveled back to St. Petersburg with four wins in four games.
Keeping up with the (B)east:
Miami FC and Hartford Athletic faced off in Miami. A game where both teams have been off to a great start, were unable to break that 0-0 deadlock. Hartford’s Sebastian Anderson’s right-footed shot forced an acrobatic save from Miami’s keeper Eloy Room. Hartford got another good look at goal off a corner, which required a goal-line block from a Miami FC defender.
Detroit City FC traveled north to Rhode Island FC, which ended in 0-0 draw as well. Rhode Island had many chances in the first half, but was unable to score.
Loudoun United FC hosted Birmingham Legion FC, which ended in a 2-2 draw. The goals started early, with Tyler Pasher burying a close-range effort into Loudoun’s net. James Murphy pulled one back after a Loudoun corner. Right after halftime, Birmingham forward Sebastian Tregathen missed a close effort, with the shot going just wide of the net. Birmingham eventually found their second through a Tyler Pasher brace. Not done yet, Loudoun got a penalty in the 80th minute. Arqímides Ordóñez converted the spotkick, and the match finished 2-2.
Defending USL Championship Pittsburgh title holders went to Indianapolis. The home team scored first with Jack Blake scoring a penalty in the first half. Indy had another good look on goal, with a rebounded shot falling to Josh O’Brian, who floated his shot over the Pittsburgh goal. Eliot Goldthorp smashed in the equalizer in the 90th minute, with Indy keeper Eric Dick being tackled by a Pittsburgh attacker, and was unable to make the save.
Finally, the most important result for the Rowdies was Charleston Battery playing Louisville City FC at Lynn Family Stadium. Laurent Kissiedou found the opener off a close-range volley in the 20th minute. In the second half, Kirill Pakhomov scored off a corner, doubling for the visitors. Charleston held onto the lead, and gave Louisville their first loss of the season, ending their perfect run.
With Matchweek 5 being over, the table is looking interesting. Tampa Bay and Lou City both sit at 12 points, top of the table. Charleston Battery and Hartford both share 9 points. Miami is at 8 points, with Detroit City and Pittsburgh both having 7 points. Indy Eleven have 5 points, and Brooklyn FC has 3. Birmingham, Loudoun, and Rhode Island all have 2 points. Sporting Jax sits in last place with only 1 point.
The Bigger Picture:
The Good: Honestly, it was a struggle of a game for the Rowdies. However, I thought there were some positives in the game though. To start, MD Myers started his first game for Tampa Bay, so hopefully that means that he is past the injury he was struggling with at the beginning of the season.
Furthermore, I think the use of fullbacks needs to be highlighted. In my opinion, both Dion Acoff and Charlie Ostrem were the difference makers in this game. Acoff always beat his man and provided crosses in the box. Ostrem, who provided the game-tying assist, did much of the same, and he was in the match less than ten minutes, coming in for Lewis Hilton in the 86th minute.
Finally, Nathan Dossantos had a great game too. He makes difficult tackles look routine, which is refreshing to see, given the 2025 Rowdies defensive struggles.
The Bad: The team struggled to create and finish chances. Against a low-block team, you have to take the chances that come to you, and the Rowdies just did not do that.
An example of this came in the 84th minute, when Russell Cicerone shot wide, instead of looking to hold up play, which I believe could have been the better option here. It was just small scenarios like that which made this game so difficult.
The other thing that I noticed was a refusal to take a shot. There were many times where Hilton, Schneider, or Micaletto had a chance to shoot on goal, but instead chose to play it out wide. The only time I can think of we took a shot like that was Sebastian Cruz’s first half shot from the Leftback position.
Final Thoughts: In a game where the Rowdies were the clear favorites, it was clear they were going to play their game against a Sporting Jax team desperate to scrape by with a point.
While it was incredibly frustrating not being able to break down the park-the-bus style defense, I was talking to some Rowdies fans as we left Hodges Stadium in Jacksonville. I said “the difference between good teams and bad teams, good teams will find a way to win.” That is exactly what that game was. It was not a flawless game, and I’m sure that the players will be the first one to tell you this. However, they did not give up, stuck to what has worked, and they got the three points at the end of the day.
Coming Up/Match Prediction:
The Rowdies will be back at Al Lang Stadium hosting Western Conference club Oakland Roots SC, who currently sits in 5th place in the West.
Oakland has had a strong start to the season, and I expect them to give the Rowdies a lot of trouble in this matchup. I am predicting a 1-1 draw, with Oakland being able to stop the Rowdies attacks, and being able to steal a goal.
