The Rowdies continued their 2012 Preseason Tour Wednesday night with a 2-0 victory against the University of Tampa at the Walter Fuller Complex. The match was hosted by the Azalea Youth Soccer League as part of the 2012 Rowdies Rush.
The Rowdies opened the scoring when forward Luke Mulholland scored his second goal in two matches as he chipped the ball over UT goalkeeper David Niepel in the 33rd minute after a feed from Takuya Yamada.
"It took me awhile to get settled into the game, and then Yama played me a great ball," said Mulholland. "I saw the keeper starting to sprint out and I managed to get underneath the ball enough and it went in."
Trialist Ogi Perucica extended the lead to 2-0 in the 82nd minute after a perfect lead pass from midfielder Shane Hill. Perucica deposited his shot in the bottom right corner of the net for the goal.
"We had a couple of excellent finishes from Luke and Ogi," said Rowdies head coach Ricky Hill. "Luke's goal was fantastic and anyone that was here and witnessed it would really appreciate the skill that it took. And Ogi came off the bench and also scored a great goal."
"I thought it was a very competitive game and you need to give credit to UT because they played well and caused us some uncomfortable moments," said Hill. "But you have to also credit our players because their attitude and effort were first-class. We are very appreciative of the warm hospitality from Azalea, and thank all of the great fans who came out tonight."
"It was definitely good to get another win; good for our confidence," said Mulholland. "We handled the game professionally for the full 90 minutes against a good team from UT."
The Rowdies return to action this Saturday, March 17 when they travel to Ft. Myers to face Florida Gulf Coast University at the FGCU Soccer Complex at 2:00 p.m. The FGCU Soccer Complex is on the university’s campus, and the address is 10501 FGCU Blvd., Fort Myers, FL 33965. Admission is free.
Scoring Summary
Rowdies: Luke Mulholland - 33rd minute (assisted by Takuya Yamada)
Rowdies: Ogi Perucica - 82nd minute (assisted by Shane Hill)
Caution Summary
Rowdies: Shane Hill - 55th minute
UT: Brian Fekete - 73rd minute
Final Statistics
Rowdies: 13 shots, 6 saves, 11 fouls
UT: 7 shots, 6 saves, 10 fouls
Starting Lineups
Rowdies: GK Andrew Fontein (Jeff Attinella 45'), D Frankie Sanfilippo (Captain), D Andres Arango (Dan O'Brien 58') (Joey Lopez 78'), D Daniel Scott (Ryan Griffin 75'), D Adam West (Draymond Washington 71'), M Shane Hill, M Keith Savage, M Takuya Yamada, F Matt Clare (Ogi Perucica 71'), F Daniel Gray (Tsuyoshi Yoshitake 45'), F Luke Mulholland (Jose Eduardo Herrera 84')
University of Tampa: GK David Niepel, D Brian Fekete, D Andrew Clare, D Rae'shaun Washington, D Matt Noble, M Cody Adams, M Dominic Cutrofello, M Brock Jennings, M Alex Knaggs, F Craig Laird, F Tyler Blackwood
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