A dominant Hartford performance, with 14 shots and 55.2% possession, was not enough to defeat Tampa Bay at home on Wednesday night. An unfortunate late goal from the Rowdies was the nail in the coffin for the Green & Blue.
After a few early chances, Athletic earned a free kick in the 23rd minute. Sebastian Anderson took the set piece and found the head of TJ Presthus. He burst free of his defender and redirected the ball towards goal, but his attempt landed just above the crossbar.
Just two minutes later, the Green & Blue were awarded another dangerous free kick, just outside the penalty area. Anderson took it once again but was thwarted by Tampa Bay’s wall.
Athletic kept pushing for a goal, and just a few minutes later an Anderson throw-in went short to Emmanuel Samadia. He took a touch to control it and then served a beautiful ball to the back post. Michee Ngalina got his head powerfully on the end of it but missed the goal by inches.
Just before halftime, Tampa’s Ollie Bassett had a one on one with Antony Siaha. He got around Hartford’s keeper and was in on goal, but Samadia and Deshane Beckford hustled to get back on defense and clear the ball out of danger, keeping the Rowdies scoreless.
The two teams went into the locker room nil-nil, but Athletic dominated in the expected goal category with 1.19 to Tampa Bay’s 0.14
The Boys in Green started the second half with a dangerous opportunity. Five minutes in, a cross from the right side was parried away by GK Ethan Bandre but landed at the feet of Samadia on the left side of the goal. He put a cross into the danger zone for Mamadou Dieng to get his head on. The ball skirted just wide of the goal, so close that the team and fans alike thought it had gone in.
The next 30 minutes saw the two teams trade chances and possession.
In the 83rd minute, however, the Tampa Bay Rowdies got on the scoreboard. Lewis Hilton dished a ball out to Woobens Pacius at the top of the box who took one touch and fired off a left-footed shot that found the back of the net.
In stoppage time, the Boys in Green made one more valiant attempt on goal. Anderson took a deep free kick that bounced off several heads before being cleared out of danger. Samadia was there, though, to pick up the leftovers. He served a curling ball to the back post. Joe Farrell desperately stretched out to get on the end of it but was unable to get a touch on the ball.
The game ended 1-0 Tampa Bay, despite an xG of 2.09 for Hartford and 0.34 for the Rowdies.
The Green & Blue are back at home Wednesday, July 30th at 7:30PM when they take on New Mexico United. Tickets are available here.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 14 | 4 |
| Shots On Target | 3 | 1 |
| Corners | 4 | 6 |
| Fouls | 7 | 12 |
| Offsides | 1 | 1 |
| Possession | 55.2% | 44.8% |
| Passing Accuracy | 79.2% | 76.8% |
| Saves | 0 | 3 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY |
|---|---|
| 83′ – Woobens Pacius (Lewis Hilton) |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY |
|---|---|
| 24′ – Thomas Vancaeyezeele (Yellow) | |
| 55′ – Leonardo Fernandes (Yellow) | |
| 90+1′ – Laurence Wyke (Yellow) | |
| 90+3′ – Lewis Hilton (Yellow) |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 41 (GK) Ethan Bandre |
| 19 (DF) Emmanuel Samadia | 2 (DF) Roberto Castellanos |
| 22 (DF) TJ Presthus (Adrián Diz Pe, 86′) | 27 (DF) Laurence Wyke |
| 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett (C) | 33 (DF) Aaron Guillen (C) |
| 15 (DF) Joe Farrell | 11 (MF) Blake Bodily |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 17 (MF) Daniel Crisotomo |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston (Beverly Makangila, 77′) | 4 (MF) Lewis Hilton |
| 17 (MF) Jonathan Jiménez (Adewale Obalola, 62′) | 8 (MF) Oliver Bassett (Nicholas Moon, 58′) |
| 7 (FW) Deshane Beckford (Samuel Careaga, 62′) | 14 (MF) Thomas Vancaeyezeele |
| 9 (FW) Mamadou Dieng | 10 (FW) Leonardo Fernandes (Jospeh Skinner, 58′) |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina | 9 (FW) Manuel Arteaga (Woobens Pacius, 58′) |
