Despite a valiant last-ditch effort from the Boys in Green, Hartford Athletic fell 3-2 to the Tampa Bay Rowdies on the road on Saturday. This win for the Florida side keeps their post season hopes alive going into the final game of the season, when they face the current 8th place team Detroit City FC.
Much like the last time these two teams met, the Green & Blue dominated in many stat categories but were unable to find the back of the net. Both teams fired off seven shots, but Hartford led the expected goal mark by 0.94 to 0.42. Athletic also put five corners and 19 crosses into the box, compared to Tampa’s two and seven respectively. Lastly, the Boys in Green maintained more possession, keeping the ball 58.2% of the time.
The Rowdies, feeling the home field advantage, got on the scoreboard first with a goal in the eighth minute. On the counter attack from a Hartford cornerkick, Alex Méndez released Manuel Arteaga with a long ball out of Tampa’s defensive half. All alone at midfield, Arteaga took off towards goal. Emmanuel Samadia hustled back to put pressure on him, but he was able to fire off a shot that snuck past Antony Siaha.
The two teams continued trading possession and momentum, until Tampa Bay netted again in the 25th minute. Paul Marie set Woobens Pacius up for a beautiful one-time finish to make the score 2-0.
The score remained the same up until stoppage time of the first half, when Hartford halved the home team’s lead. Seconds before the referee sent the two squads into the locker rooms, Sebastian Anderson played a long-ball to Adrián Diz Pe in the corner. Diz Pe was able to dig it out and get it to Jack Panayotou at the edge of the 18-yard box. Panayotou quickly got the ball across to Ngalina who was standing completely undefended at the back post for an easy tap in goal.
Although the Boys in Green came out of the locker room fired up. Tampa netted again in the 56th minute. Alex Méndez fired off a rocket of a shot from almost 50 yards out that curved out of Siaha’s reach and into the back of the net to restore the Rowdie’s lead to two.
Despite the scoreline, the Boys in Green refused to give up and continued pressuring Tampa Bay’s backline right up until the end of the game. Two minutes into six minutes of stoppage time, Ngalina scored his second of the game for a brace and his fifth goal of the season. The play started when Samuel Careaga played a ball low and hard into the feet of Samadia, who passed it on to Hadji Barry. The former USL Championship Player of the Year played a perfect through ball to Ngalina who then only had goalkeeper Bill Hamid left to beat. He took a touch to get around him and powered the ball into the back of the net.
Athletic fought for an equalizer right up until the whistle blew but were unable to put one away, making the final score 3-2.
Hartford next takes the field for the last game of the regular season on Saturday, October 25th at 7:30 PM against first place Louisville City FC. The club will be hosting a Fall Fan Fest and Watch Party. More information is available here. Additionally, playoff tickets are on sale now with early bird pricing, only available until a home field advantage is officially clinched. Believe in your Hartford Athletic and get your tickets now.
FAST STATS
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY | |
|---|---|---|
| Shots | 7 | 7 |
| Shots On Target | 2 | 3 |
| Corners | 5 | 2 |
| Fouls | 19 | 7 |
| Offsides | 1 | 1 |
| Possession | 58.2% | 41.8% |
| Passing Accuracy | 77.8% | 73.7% |
| Saves | 0 | 0 |
SCORING SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY |
|---|---|
| 45+2′ – Michee Ngalina (Jack Panayotou) | 8′ – Manuel Arteaga (Alex Méndez) |
| 90+2 – Michee Ngalina (Hadji Barry) | 25′ – Woobens Pacius (Paul Marie) |
| 56′ – Alex Méndez |
DISCIPLINARY SUMMARY
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY |
|---|---|
| 61′ – Laurence Wyke (Yellow) | |
| 90+2′ – Roberto Castellanos (Yellow) | |
| 90+8′ – Manuel Arteaga (Yellow) |
LINEUPS
| HARTFORD | TAMPA BAY |
|---|---|
| 77 (GK) Antony Siaha | 24 (GK) Bill Hamid |
| 19 (DF) Emmanuel Samadia | 2 (DF) Roberto Castellanos |
| 22 (DF) TJ Presthus | 27 (DF) Laurence Wyke (Aarón Guillén, 63′) |
| 4 (DF) Jordan Scarlett (C) | 3 (DF) Forrest Lasso (C) |
| 30 (DF) Adrián Diz Pe | 26 (MF) Joey Skinner |
| 2 (DF) Sebastian Anderson | 17 (MF) Daniel Crisotomo |
| 94 (MF) Marlon Hairston (Baboucarr Njie, 67′) | 5 (MF) Paul Marie (Thomas Vancaeyezeele, 90+1′) |
| 16 (MF) Jack Panayotou (Jonathan Jiménez, 57′) | 19 (MF) Alex Méndez |
| 10 (FM) Samuel Careaga | 15 (MF) Juan Carlos Azócar |
| 81 (FW) Adewale Obalola (Hadji Barry, 57′) | 28 (FW) Woobens Pacius (Nick Moon, 82′) |
| 11 (FW) Michee Ngalina | 9 (FW) Manuel Arteaga |
