Tampa Bay Rowdies’ Ru…… A Bit Too Little Too Late

The Tampa Bay Rowdies had two games left in the regular season when word came that the New York Cosmos had beaten San Antonio 2-1.
That ended any hopes Tampa Bay had of playing for the league championship this season, as the win gave the Cosmos an eight-point lead over the Rowdies with only six points left on the table.
Despite the loss, the defending 2012 NASL champions made a good run at the fall championship. The Rowdies had kept their hopes alive with a 1-0 win over San Antonio the previous week-end.
Luke Millholland, the former Wingate University collegiate All-America, nailed a penalty kick to keep the Rowdies in the hunt.
With the Cosmos assured of finishing first in the fall half of the league’s split regular season, the Rowdies’s game in Edmondton is for pride and placement in the final fall standing.
Tampa Bay and the Carolina RailHawks, who were edged by the Atlanta Silverbacks on the final day of the spring season, are tied for second place in the fall with 20 points each.
Going into those final games, the Rowdies have only lost twice in the fall campaign, but five draws have left a lot of points on the table. Their 19 goals are the most scored by any NASL team in the second half of the season.
With four games left in the fall season, Tampa Bay head coach Ricky Hill was looking to win them all, earn the 12 points and catch the Cosmos. “Mathematically, we are still in the hunt,” said Hill before making the final run. “With three of the last four matches being played at Al Lang, I know the fans will back this team and support us
through the finish.”
But the deciding result turned out to be a 4-3
loss to the Cosmos in New York. The next time out, the Rowdies dropped a 2-1 decision to the Fort Lauderdale Strikers.
The one consolation in the final month of the season was the 2-1 win over the Strikers in Fort Lauderdale that gave the Rowdies their fourth consecutive Coastal Cup title against their Sunshine State rivals.
“It’s great to be a part of a rivalry that has such a rich history,” said Hill.
While the Rowdies won’t repeat as league champions, there have been a number of memorable moments individually for Tampa Bay players.
Georgi Hristov is one goal back of the RailHawks’ Brian Shriver in the race for the Golden Ball scoring championship with 12 goals.
Former University of Virginia goalkeeper Diego Restrepo has proven to be key component to the Rowdies as they made their final run at the Soccer Bowl.
The 1-0 win over San Antonio was the fifth shutout of the season for Restrepo. Earlier in the fall season he saved a penalty kick by Atlanta’s Robert Luna that kept the Rowdies 10-game unbeaten streak alive.
A year ago it was 2012 NASL Best XI keeper Jeff Attinella, who ended the Soccer Bowl Championship with a dramatic penalty kick save, and this year Restrepo has proven to be his equal.
“Diego has grown as a player since his first game (April 27) against the Strikers,” said Tampa Bay Technical Director Perry Van Der Beck. “His game management and his saves have been gamechangers. The players and coaches have tremendous confidence in him which helps us come game time.”