CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Independence managed its first win at its new home as they managed a 2-0 win over the Tampa Bay Rowdies at American Legion Memorial Stadium on Saturday night.
The deadlock was broken in the second minute of the second half after Lawrence Wyke lost possession in midfield. That allowed prolific scorer Dane Kelly to race to the ball and get there first and then beat Evan Louro in a one-on-one situation.
Things were sealed in the 62nd minute when another Rowdies defensive lapse saw Irvin Parra bounce. The Rowdies backline failed to clear a corner and Parra pounced stabbing home the winning goal.
“At 0-0, there was nothing in the game. It was fine,” said Rowdies Head Coach Collins after the match. “Then we have a really poor turnover and a couple other mistakes after that and then you find yourself down 1-0 on the road and you have an uphill climb. I thought the 10 minutes after we lost the goal was poor and we let the game get completely away from us when it went 2-nil.”
It was all just a second-half collapse from the Tampa Bay defense. Things were going well in the first half and the Rowdies may have just been the better side but just couldn’t make any chances count.
In the second half, it was all Charlotte, controlling possession and the only clear chances in the half came at Louro’s goal.
To compound, the disappointment felt in Saint Petersburg the poor run of form from Tampa Bay has allowed the Pittsburgh Riverhounds to take the top spot in the division.
Photo courtesy Tampa Bay Rowdies
Florida Soccer Report 