September 24, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Birmingham Legion FC News Release
Tampa, FL – Birmingham Legion FC drew for the second time this season against the Tampa Bay Rowdies Friday night after the game ended 1-1 at Al Lang Stadium. Two early, first-half goals saw both sides score the only goals of the match.
FULL LEGION FC MATCH HIGHLIGHTS AND POST-GAME INTERVIEWS
Birmingham opened the scoring in the first ten minutes of the match. What started as a great defensive play that saw Legion goalkeeper Matt VanOekel make a great save, led to a brilliant counterattack. Juan Agudelo put himself through on goal and played it out to Marlon Santos who roofed a shot into the crossbar and into the Rowdies goal. Santos, prolific as of late, earned his third goal in two straight appearances and brought his goal tally up to seven on the season – tied for second in the club alongside Agudelo.
The Rowdies responded minutes later in the 17th minute. Tampa’s leading goal scorer Leo Fernandes produced a solo goal in a crowded box that gave the Rowdies an equalizer.
The second half was just as intense, but the two sides remained level with one each. A lot of back-and-forth action in the second half saw Tampa record nine shots and Birmingham record six, but good defensive efforts by both sides left the game at a draw.
Birmingham’s attacking threats came through counterattacks, something Head Coach Tommy Soehn expected might give them chances coming into the game.
“I feel like [Tampa] opens up and takes some risks going forward, and we were able to capitalize on some of those,” said Soehn. “Unfortunately, we didn’t turn them all into goals, but the effort the guys gave today was phenomenal.”
Tampa’s best chance in the second half, and arguably Legion’s best defensive play, came in the 47th minute. A shot by Tampa’s Yann Ekra was on target, but Legion’s Alex Crognale blocked and cleared the shot to set the defensive tone for the second half.
Crognale himself put up a great performance for the Three Sparks, registering a team-leading six clearances, a goal-stopping block, and won possession eight times.
“Tampa is always a tough place to play,” said Crognale. “The boys battled for 90 minutes tonight and earned the point on the road. We wanted more but, given the playoff implications, this result keeps us in striking distance of 3rd place,” said Crognale.
Although the boys earned a point against a tough team in the Tampa Bay Rowdies, the mood in the locker room…