MIAMI (April 9, 2016) — The Tampa Bay Rowdies picked up a massive road point courtesy of Georgi Hristov’s 85th minute equalizer against Miami FC at Ocean Bank Field at FIU Stadium on Saturday night.
Hristov’s penalty, after Eric Avila had been fouled in the 18-yard box, canceled out Dario Cvitanich’s 17th minute goal. 10,156 fans watched as Hristov scored Tampa Bay’s first goal of the season.
“It was an exciting game,” Tampa Bay Head Coach Stuart Campbell said. “It was end-to-end and both teams tried to attack. We’re very disappointed to concede the goal we did because it was from a set piece. Before the game, we went through Miami’s strength on set pieces, so that’s disappointing to concede.
The hosts had taken an early lead in the 17th minute when Rowdies goalkeeper Matt Pickens made a save after a dead ball, but yielded a rebound. The ball fell to Cvitanich, who took a touch to control, spun and poked the rebound into the roof of the net for a 1-0 lead with a tidy finish.
“I was happy with the reaction from the players after that,” Campbell said. “I thought we went on to create a couple of chances and at halftime we had a good chat. I was extremely pleased with the second half performance.”
No matter how much the Rowdies’ performance was improved in the second half, Tampa Bay would still have to be patient in the search for its equalizer.
Campbell coached aggressively in the second half, inserting Georgi Hristov and Darwin Espinal into the match in the 58th and 72nd minutes, respectively. While the chances continued to stack up for Tampa Bay, the goal still wouldn’t come. Campbell’s final roll of the dice came in the 81st minute when he replaced a defensive midfielder with forward Danny Mwanga.
Eventually, persistence going forward paid dividends as the Rowdies piled on the pressure late in the second half.
Eric Avila cut into Miami FC’s 18-yard box in the 84th minute, and, as the ball fell to his feet, Miami FC’s Hugo Leroux crashed into his back, drawing a whistle from the center referee.
Hristov, who had been dynamic since entering the match, stepped up to take the penalty and converted coolly to level the match.
“It wasn’t only me,” Hristov said. “We started playing a little bit better in the second half because we had to go all in for a goal. We tried our best and it was a very good play by Eric Avila before the penalty. The penalty was not easy, because there was a lot of pressure, but I’m happy that I managed to score.”
Between Hristov’s goal and the final whistle, the Rowdies looked likely to score a winner.
In the 90th minute, Hristov nearly scored the winner, striking a hard shot from the right side of the box and forcing Miami FC goalkeeper Daniel Vega to palm it over the crossbar and out for a corner kick. The ensuing corner kick created a chance for Tommy Heinemann, but Vega again made the save and the Rowdies were unable to get onto the rebound.
“A point on the road is good, provided you win your home matches,” Campbell said. “We’ve got two home matches coming up next that we’re looking forward to.”
The Rowdies host FC Edmonton next Saturday night, April 16 with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff. For more information, call (727)-222-2000 or click here.
Scoring Summary
Miami FC – Dario Cvitanich – 17th minute
Tampa Bay – Georgi Hristov – 85th minute (penalty)
Caution Summary
Tampa Bay – Ben Sweat – 20th minute
Tampa Bay – Darnell King – 42nd minute
Miami – Dario Cvitanich – 72nd minute
Miami – Wilson Palacios – 75th minute
Tampa Bay – Georgi Hristov – 86th minute
Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (4-2-3-1): GK Matt Pickens; D Darnell King, Tamika Mkandawire (c), Neill Collins, Ben Sweat; M Juan Guerra (Danny Mwanga 81′), Michael Nanchoff; M Eric Avila, Junior Burgos (Georgi Hristov 58′), Kalif Alhassan (Darwin Espinal 72′); F Tommy Heinemann
Miami FC XI (4-4-2): GK Miami FC XI (4-4-2): GK Daniel Vega; D Jonathan Borrajo (c), Mason Trafford, Brad Rusin (Wilson Palacios 25′), Hugo Leroux; M Matuzalem (Calvin Rezende 80′), Adailton, Blake Smith, Ariel Martinez; F Jaime Chavez, Dario Cvitanich (Aaron Dennis 86′)
