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The Tampa Bay Rowdies advanced to the 2012 NASL Finals after playing to a 3-3 draw in the second leg of the semifinals against Carolina on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium in Downtown St. Petersburg. With the 2-1 victory in the first leg on October 6th and the 3-3 draw tonight, the Rowdies defeated Carolina 5-4 on aggregate, advancing to the finals. Tampa Bay extended their undefeated streak to eight games, and are now unbeaten in their last 11 home games.

The RailHawks got in front early, with midfielder Floyd Franks scoring in the 14th minute after a feed from forward Matt Luzunaris. In the 18th minute, Carolina made it 2-0 after midfielder Ty Shipalane took advantage of a Rowdies defensive mistake and put the ball past Rowdies goalkeeper Jeff Attinella.

As the first half came to a close, forward Mike Ambersley was brought down in the box in the 39th minute. Midfielder Shane Hill took care of the penalty kick and decreased Carolina’s lead making it 2-1.

"I told the players before the start, that we had to make sure that if we went down early, we would not lose our composure," said Rowdies Head Coach Ricky Hill. "I knew that with the way we had played in the first 17 minutes, we could score and get back into the game even after being 2-0 down."

Forward Mike Ambersley scored in the 65th minute after Mulholland delivered a ball to him, leaving him wide open in front of Carolina’s goalkeeper Ray Burse. His powerful strike made the game 2-2, putting the Rowdies up 4-3 on aggregate.

In the 84th minute, Mulholland put the Rowdies up 3-2, making the aggregate score 5-3. He first struck the crossbar, but he was able to pick up his own rebound and score the go-ahead goal.

"It was very enjoyable to get that insurance goal with a little over five minutes remaining," said Mulholland. "My first shot hit the crossbar, and luckily I was able to get in front of my defender and put the ball in the back of the net. We are delighted to be in the finals and we look forward to working hard to prepare for whoever we have to face in the Championship Series."

Carolina’s midfielder Nick Zimmerman scored the equalizing goal off a penalty kick in the 87th minute.

The Rowdies began pressuring Carolina in the game’s opening minutes, getting several chances in the box. In the 14th minute Mulholland took a shot from 19 yards out, but it hit off the cross bar.

In the ensuing Carolina counter attack, Franks sent a through ball to Luzunaris, who was able to slip the ball past Attinella, making it 1-0.

The RailHawks continued to look for the second goal of the night and capitalized on a Rowdies defensive mistake in the 18th minute. Shipalane intercepted a misplayed ball by the defense and put the ball past Attinella to increase Carolina’s lead.

With the Rowdies down 2-0, they were able to regroup and maintain their initial momentum. In the 22nd minute Tampa Bay’s forward Carl Cort took a shot from the left but it was sent out for a corner kick by the RailHawks goalkeeper Ray Burse.

Midfielder Stuart Campbell had a great chance in the 31st minute shooting from 23 yards out, but his shot went inches wide of the right post.

39 minutes into the match, Ambersley was brought down inside Carolina’s box and the referee awarded the Rowdies with a penalty kick. Hill capitalized on the penalty kick, placing the ball in the bottom left corner of the net out of the reach of Burse. The Rowdies cut the lead down to 2-1, while leveling out the aggregate score at 3-3.

The Rowdies got the tying goal in the 65th minute, after Mulholland fed the ball through to Ambersley, who drilled the ball past Burse for the 2-2.

"Going down early was not in our plans," said Ambersley. "With that being said, we have a great group of guys, and we battled hard to come back and get the necessary goals. I knew I was going to get my chance to score, and luckily the ball rolled my way from Luke and I put it in the corner for the goal."

In the 81st minute, Campbell came up with an incredible defensive save off a Carolina header. Campbell was perfectly placed on the line and cleared the ball off the line keeping the Rowdies leveled.

Mulholland scored the Rowdies third goal of the night in the 84th minute. His initial strike from inside the box blasted off the crossbar, but he was able to recover the rebound and strike the ball into the goal making it 3-2.

Carolina was awarded a penalty kick in the 86th minute, which midfielder Nick Zimmerman capitalized and made it 3-3.

"I am very delighted with the effort the guys put in, especially in the second half as we got in front 3-2," said Hill. "They knew how important it was to get into the finals, and I felt they really stepped up after Shane's goal. I must thank the fans from the bottom of my heart. They really did get behind the players and support them throughout the entire season, and most importantly tonight."

The Rowdies advanced to the NASL Soccer Bowl, the NASL's Playoffs Championship Round, which will be a two leg series played on Saturday, October 20th and Saturday, October 27th. The Rowdies will face either the San Antonio Scorpions or the Minnesota Stars with one game home here at Al Lang Stadium, and one game away.

Scoring Summary
Carolina: Matt Luzunaris assisted by Floyd Franks - 14th minute
Carolina: Ty Shipalane - 18th minute
Tampa Bay: Shane Hill (PK) - 40th minute
Tampa Bay: Mike Ambersley assisted by Luke Mulholland - 65th minute
Tampa Bay: Luke Mulholland - 84th minute
Carolina: Nick Zimmerman (PK) -  87th minute

Caution Summary
Carolina: Gale Agbossoumonde - 35th minute
Tampa Bay: Luke Mulholland - 90+ minute

Tampa Bay
GK Jeff Attinella, D Frankie Sanfilippo (Captain), D JP Rodrigues, D Takuya Yamada (Daniel Scott 40'), D Andres Arango, M Stuart Campbell (Evans Frimpong 87'), M Shane Hill, M Keith Savage, M Luke Mulholland, F Carl Cort, F Mike Ambersley

Carolina
GK Ray Burse, D Greg Shields, D Sam Stockley, D Gale Agbossoumonde, D Kupono Low (Captain), M Amir Lowery (Mike Palacio 84'), M Floyd Franks, M Nick Zimmerman, M Ty Shipalane, F Matt Luzunaris (Brian Ackley 77'), F Brian Shriver (Jason Garey 69')

Attendance: 4,132