Rowdies Knock off Orange County 2-0

July 13, 2024 – United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tampa Bay Rowdies News Release

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla – The Tampa Bay Rowdies picked up all three points in their return to Al Lang Stadium after nearly a month on the road, posting a 2-0 result over Orange County SC. Forward Cal Jennings nabbed both goals for the Rowdies, increasing his season total a team-leading 11 goals.

“Getting back to Al Lang was big for us,” said Rowdies Head Coach Robbie Neilson. “The last three games have been difficult on turf, going to venues that are really hard to play soccer on. You can’t link passes, so you end up changing your style of play. So we were really looking forward to this game and the buildup to it all week. We just wanted to show what we can do.”

Jennings and the Rowdies were on the front foot out of the gate on Saturday. It took only six minutes of action for Jennings to grab the opening goal and snap his three-match scoring drought. With teammates Pacifique Niyongabire doing some dirty work against a defender in the box, Jennings pounced on a loose ball as it rolled in his direction. Sensing an opening, Jenning drove in from the left edge and fired a low, left-footed strike through a crowd of bodies and right at keeper Colin Shutler. However, Orange County’s keeper was unable to handle the attempt, letting it slip through his arms and then between his legs to hit the back of the net. The goal was Jennings’ 60th career tally in the USL Championship.

“A scoring drought for Cal [Jennings] usually is 30 minutes, you know,” said Neilson. “He’s always a threat. He makes great movements in behind. He probably could have had two or three more tonight. The team could have had more tonight overall. Cal and Manuel Arteaga are huge threats for us up top.”

The Rowdies continued to control the match from that point on. Manuel Arteaga nearly doubled the lead shortly after Jennings’ goal, as the ball bounced over Shutler into the box. Arteaga slipped past the keeper, but he sent his effort just wide right of the goal.

Play was halted in the 28th minute for nearly an hour due to lighting in the area. The Rowdies did not let that delay hinder their momentum, though. Four minutes after the restart, Jennings found the back of the net again. A long ball played out of Tampa Bay’s defensive end by Eddie Munjoma bounced favorably for the Rowdies. Arteaga swooped in to beat a defender to the service and headed the ball into the path of the streaking Jennings. After carrying the ball…