ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies defeated USL League One’s FC Naples 2-0 on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium to keep their perfect record intact through all four rounds of the tournament’s group stage heading into the single-elimination Quarterfinals round on August 12.
Pairings and hosting rights for all four Quarterfinals matchups for the Prinx Tires USL Cup will be determined in a random draw on Monday at 1:00 p.m. ET on the USL’s YouTube channel.
“You’re in a cup competition to try and win a cup. Otherwise, why bother participating,” said Rowdies Head Coach Dominic Casciato. “That’s the beauty of the cup. Anyone can win the cup. For us, we take every game as it comes. We treat every opponent with respect. We want to go as far as we can in every competition, and that applies to this competition as well.”
The Rowdies had already locked up the top spot in Group 7 and their spot in the Quarterfinals heading into Saturday’s contest, but the squad was aiming to put in a positive showing after last week’s loss to Lexington in league play.
“It was just about our mentality coming off a disappointing result last week,” said Rowdies Midifelder Lewis Hilton. “(Tonight) was about getting back to ourselves and putting in a performance for the fans that came out here and for us to get back on the train again. I feel like we did that.”
Tampa Bay found their go-ahead goal from striker Karsen Henderlong just before the halftime break. Henderlong, who spent 2025 with Naples, rose to meet a well-placed free kick from teammate Marco Micaletto in the 41st minute, redirecting the service back across goal to beat goalkeeper Joshua Grant.
With one in the bank, the Rowdies pushed to double the advantage only three minutes later. Defender Isaiah LeFlore helped jumpstart the scoring sequence with a strike from just outside the box to force Grant to make a save. Rowdies Midfielder Pedro Dolabella pounced on the ensuing rebound on the edge of the six-yard-box, centering a pass with his first touch for an unmarked Evan Conway to deposit into the back of the net.
The tally was Conway’s third of the year and his first since April 4.
“That’s huge for the team to get that second goal in the first half,” said Conway. It’s huge for me as well. I haven’t scored in a while, so it’s good to get just a little weight off the shoulders. Sometimes it happens in your career where it’s just not falling for you. It’s been important, mentally, for me to just keep going. Eventually the ball is going to find the back of the net.”
Despite an unfortunate injury to center back Leland Archer in the opening seconds of the match that forced him to exit for defender Nate Dossantos in the third minute, the Rowdies managed to limit the visitors to few scoring chances. Rowdies Goalkeeper Jahmali Waite was called on to make just one save in the match on his way to securing the club’s third shutout of the tournament.
Defender Gennaro Nigro also aided in the Rowdies riding out the shutout win on Saturday, coming off the bench to make his club debut for the final 15 minutes of the match. Nigro is the 21st player to earn his Rowdies debut this season.
“After the (first-half) hydration break, I thought the intensity and the urgency and the aggression we showed is everything we’re supposed to be about,” said Casciato. “We can never forget that. Anytime we step on the pitch, we have to show those things. Otherwise, anyone can beat you.”
The Rowdies will wait along with the other seven teams advancing to the Quarterfinals of the Prinx Tires USL Cup until Monday’s draw to learn their opponent for the knockout match set to be played on August 12.
“It’s extremely exciting to be part of a cup competition,” said Rowdies Midfielder Lewis Hilton. “We’re really looking forward to the next round. It’s exciting, knockout football. You can see it in the World Cup. These are the type of games you want to be involved in. That opportunity to win a trophy adds that little bit more motivation as well.”
In the immediate future, the Rowdies travel to face Loudoun United FC in USL Championship regular season action next Saturday, July 18 at 7:00 p.m. ET.
Scoring Summary
TBR – Henderlong (Micaletto), 41’
TBR – Conway (Dolabella), 44’
Caution Summary
NPL – Ciss (Yellow Card), 45+1’
TBR – Dolabella (Yellow Card), 45+6’
TBR – Dossantos (Yellow Card), 57’
NPL – Ferrin (Yellow Card), 81’
NPL – Rose (Yellow Card), 85’
TBR – Perez (Yellow Card), 87’
Stats Summary : TBR / NPL
Shots: 15 / 7
Shots on Goal: 9 / 1
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 3 / 2
Fouls Conceded: 23 / 13
Offside: 1 / 2
Possession: 56.4 / 43.6
Lineups
TBR: Waite, Cruz, Leerman, Archer (Dossantos, 3’), LeFlore (Nigro, 75’), Conway, Dolabella (Schneider, 64’), Hilton, Vivi (Perez, 64’), Micaletto, Henderlong (Myers, 74’)
TBR Bench: Kacurak, Dossantos, Nigro, Ostrem, Perez, Schneider, Cicerone, Myers
NPL: Grant, Osorio(Strumier, 75’), Mastrantonio, Rose, Cisneros (Yearwood, 64’), Ciss, Gray (Ferrin, 46’), Mesias (O’Connor), Arevalo (Cerro, 60’), Garcia, Miglietti
NPL Bench: Delgado, Yearwood, Cerro, Ferrin, O’Connor, Bachstein, Strumier
