
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla (May 25, 2024) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies left it late but ultimately came away with all three points against Las Vegas Lights FC on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium. Forward Call Jennings nabbed the winner in the 85th minute, notching his eighth goal of the season.
“This [result] is massive,” said Jennings after the match. “Anytime you can get three points is a big deal. Close the gap toward the top. It’s difficult for a team to do it game in, game out, so anytime you can get a result and build on that is huge and we’re looking to continue it.”
As they did in Wednesday’s Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup defeat versus FC Dallas, the Rowdies outshout Las Vegas by a wide margin, 20 to 7 to be exact. The visitors had their chances, though. In the 29th minute, Las Vegas’ leading scorer Valentin Noel missed a wide open sitter a couple yards in front of goal after Solomon Asante picked him out with a cross from the right edge.
Just a few minutes after Noel’s miscue, Lewis Hilton fired off Tampa Bay’s first shot on goal of the night. The Rowdies midfielder shook off a defender before powering a shot from just outside the box right into the arms of former teammate and current Las Vegas keeper Raiko Arozarena.
In the 37th minute, Rowdies midfielder came within a few inches of grabbing the go-ahead goal. Slicing into the box from the left flank, Bodily ripped a shot toward goal that deflected off the foot of a defender and then clanged into the near post to stay out of the net.
“I thought the first half we actually played really well,” said Neilson. “We dominated possession, created lots of chances and didn’t have the final moment. To [Las Vegas’s] credit, they stayed in the game and made it really difficult for us. They sat in a back six, it was almost a 6-3-1. They were really hard to break down.”
Las Vegas put the Rowdies under serious pressure with a flurry of shots in the 77th and 78th minute. Rowdies captain came up clutch with two blocks, first denying a right-footed shot by Joe Hafferty and then another a minute later to thwart Shawn Smart. However, just a few seconds later Las Vegas’s Gennaro Nigro slipped behind the back line and lifted a shot over the shoulder of Rowdies keeper Jordan Farr but right into the crossbar.
After weathering the close chances for Las Vegas, the Rowdies finally found their winner in the 85th minute. Bodily initiated the sequence with a sublime chipped pass into Las Vegas’s defensive third. Receiving the service on the left side of the box, Jennings cut back toward the top of the box but sharply turned toward goal to take a crack on frame. Jennings’ effort was enough to beat Arozarena at the near post and seal the victory.
“I was thinking just relax, be patient,” said Jennings. “I think I rushed a number of chances tonight and I’ve been rushing in recent games. It was like, okay, beat the defender, get a little space and then really focus on putting it on frame away from the goalkeeper and I did it.”
With the win, the Rowdies make up some ground on the top teams in the Eastern Conference standings, as the Charleston Battery and Louisville City FC both dropped points this week. Indy Eleven picked up a 2-1 win over Phoenix Rising FC at home, leaving them third in the conference on 20 points and the Rowdies sitting fourth with 19 points.
“We spoke about it before the game, said Neilson. “Louisville obviously draw and then Charleston get beat last night, so it gives us a chance to get closer and put some pressure on them. Hopefully we’ll get closer again next week and keep putting pressure on them.”
Next up, the Rowdies head out west for a two-match swing in California. They’ll face the top team in the West Sacramento Republic FC on Saturday, June 1 at 10 pm ET and then Oakland Roots SC on Saturday, June 8 at 10 pm ET.
Scoring Summary
TBR – Jennings (Bodily), 85’
Caution Summary
LV – Nigro, Yellow Card, 31’
TBR – Munjoma, Yellow Card, 56’
LV – Smart, Yellow Card, 68’
LV – Azcona, Yellow Card, 71’
Lineups
Rowdies: Farr, Munjoma (Moon, 61’), Doherty, Guillen, Niyongabire, Crisostomo (Dennis, 61’), Hilton (Worth, 61’), Perez (Rivera, 53’), Bodily, Jennings, Arteaga (Fernandes, 76’)
Rowdies Bench: Breno, Dezart, Kleemann, Moon, Worth, Dennis, Fernandes, Rivera, Ortiz,
Las Vegas: Arozarena, Hafferty, Klimenta, Howell, Nigro, Adams, Ngando, Smart, Noel, Samake, Azcona
Las Vegas Bench: Ammeter, Garcia, Sargus, Gue, Romero, Asante, Bennet