Georgi Hristov scored for the second straight week./STEVEN MUNCIE
Sunday, 2 a.m.
It's official. The Tampa Bay Rowdies are off to a good start.
The Rowdies won their second game of their young season, beating Bethlehem Steel FC 2-0. Coupled with their win in the opener last week against North Carolina FC, the Bulls now have taken a perfect six points in two games.
Georgi Hristov and Leo Fernandes scored for the Rowdies. Goaltender Cody Mizell scored his first clean sheet for the Rowdies.
“I thought it was a real good performance,” Rowdies coach Stuart
Content beyond this point is for members only.
Already a member? To view the rest of this column, sign in using the handy "Sign In" button located in the upper right corner of the GarySheltonSports.com blog (it's at the far right of the navigation bar under Gary's photo)!
Not a member? It's easy to subscribe so you can view the rest of this column and all other premium content on GarySheltonSports.com.
Campbell said. “I thought we defended really well as a team and attacked really, really well as a team. We started the second half really well and got a couple of goals.”
After a scoreless first half, the Rowdies got a goal form Hristov in the 62nd minute and Fernandes in the 68th.
The Rowdies almost scored earlier early when McCarthy made back-to-back saves to deny Leo Fernandes twice, only for Fernandes to take a third shot that forced Steel FC defender AJ Paterson to clear the ball as he fell into his own net. The Rowdies felt the ball crossed the line and began to celebrate, but the goal wasn’t given.
The Rowdies took 16 shots (eight on target) in the first half, but were unable to break through officially and put a goal on the board.
Both Hristov and Fernandes have scored in both games for Tampa Bay.
"I thought we responded really well in the second half,” Fernandes said. “We came out firing and Georgi scored a really nice goal. It was a relief that we finally got one because we had pressed so hard in the first half.”
The Rowdies are on the road next week for an early season showdown with defending champion Louisville City FC before returning home to host Ottawa Fury FC on Saturday, April 7.
{ 0 comments… read it below or Subscriptions }