The Tampa Bay Rowdies finished knotted at 1-1 in Saturday evening’s road contest with Rhode Island FC, earning a point in the standings and extending the club’s unbeaten run to start the season to eight matches.
Saturday’s draw is also the first road point earned for the Rowdies in Rhode Island, as well as their first point picked up in the series since their first-ever meeting back in 2024.
“This is a tough place to come,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “I thought we were the better team for most of the game. Disappointing obviously to concede a late goal, but I think tonight’s performance is a really good sign of our progress, to come here and dominate the game for long periods and come away with a point.”
Attacker Russell Cicerone registered the first shot on target of the night for the Rowdies in the 9th minute. Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite launched the counterattack chance with a long throw into Rhode Island’s half of the field, where Cicerone pushed the ball past a defender and charged forward before sending a strike on frame that Koke Vegas parried away with a kick save.
The Rowdies converted on their next effort on goal in the 29th minute. After several attempts by the Rowdies to play a corner kick and ensuing crosses into Rhode Island’s box, midfielder Max Schneider finally delivered a pass right on the mark to an unmarked Pedro Dolabella for a header into the back of the net. The tally is Dolabella’s first goal for the Green and Gold, making him the club’s sixth player to score a goal in league play so far in 2026.
“That goal showed the kind of composure and patience that we needed a bit more of in the second half,” said Casciato. “It was there for that first goal, and if we’d had that a little more throughout, I think we’d gone on and scored a second and won the game.”
Waite kept the hosts off the scoresheet in the first half with four stops, including a diving save in the 13th minute when Rhode Island’s Hugo Bacharach got his head on the end of a free kick sent into the box.
The Rowdies limited Rhode Island’s scoring opportunities in the second half until late into the match. A cross from Nick Scardina in the 85th minute found its way to forward JJ Williams, who redirected a headed effort into the goal to level the match.
Tampa Bay finishes the weekend still leading the pack in the Eastern Conference with 18 points earned through their first eight matches.
Next up, the Rowdies remain on the road for a meeting with in-state rivals Miami FC in Round Two of the Prinx Tires USL Cup on Saturday, May 16 at 7 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary
TBR – Dolabella (Schneider), 29’
RI – Williams (Scardina), 85′
Caution Summary
TBR – Schneider (Yellow Card), 21’
RI – Bacharach (Yellow Card), 30’
TBR – Ostrem (Yellow Card), 49’
RI – Kwizera (Yellow Card), 62’
TBR – Micaletto (Yellow Card), 70’
TBR – Dolabella (Yellow Card), 90+4’
Stats Summary: TBR / RI
Shots: 10 / 12
Shots on Goal: 2 / 6
Saves: 5 / 1
Corner Kicks: 6 / 3
Fouls Conceded: 15 / 13
Offside: 2 / 4
Possession: 49.7 / 50.3
Lineups
TBR: Waite, Acoff, Schaefer, Dossantos, Ostrem, Cruz (Hilton, 76’), Schneider (Micaletto, 69’), Perez (Myers, 76’), Dolabella, Cicerone (Vivi, 83’), Conway (Henderlong, 76’)
TBR Bench: Pack, Wyke, Hilton, Micaletto, Vivi, Henderlong, Myers
RI: Vegas, Diop, Stoneman, Nodarse (Rodriguez, 63’), Sanchez, Bacharach, Shapiro-Thompson (Dorsey, 79’), Herivaux, (Holstad, 70’) Kwizera (Fuson, 63’), Williams, Afonso
RI Bench: Castro, Yao, Scardina, Rodriguez, Holstad, Dorsey, Fuson
