ST. PETERSUBURG, Fla. (Jun. 15, 2019) – The Tampa Bay Rowdies came up a couple minutes short of a victory Saturday night, conceding late to draw 1-1 with the Charleston Battery at Al Lang Stadium.

Sebastian Guenzatti’s 39th minute goal looked to be the game-winner but Battery forward Ian Svantesson scored in the 88th minute to earn a result for his side.

The Rowdies (8-1-6, 30 points) remain atop the Eastern Conference standings after drawing their first match since May 1.

“It’s a point and we’ll try and keep it in perspective,” Rowdies Head Coach Neill Collins said. “It’s definitely two points dropped, although (Charleston) might think the same. For ourselves, it’s definitely a disappointing result but, more than anything, a disappointing performance.”

Charleston (5-3-6, 21 points) nearly scored in the opening minute only for Nicque Daley to push his shot wide.

The Rowdies were the better team on the night, dominating the ball and shots, but the Battery hung tough in difficult conditions after playing 120 minutes in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup on Thursday night before traveling to Florida.

It was a well-deserved lead when Sebastian Guenzatti scored his team-high seventh goal of the year to put the Rowdies up 1-0 shortly before halftime. He let a pass from Malik Johnson run across his body and stepped around one defender before firing a right-footed shot to beat Battery goalkeeper Joe Kuzminsky.

Tampa Bay had a number of chances to double its lead but ultimately couldn’t convert. Just four of the 17 shots the Rowdies tallied were on target.

On the other hand, Charleston provided good value with six shots on target of nine total. The Battery did it with just 32 percent possession.

The Battery scored in the 88th minute off a long free kick that was nodded toward target by Jarad van Schaik and then tapped in by Svantesson to tie the match at 1-1.

“One hundred percent (we needed a second goal,)” Collins said. “We should have scored a second goal. We didn’t play well enough. Although we had chances, they were poor in the second half. … I thought the second half was probably the poorest we’ve been. We got what we deserved, ultimately.”

Tampa Bay now faces the prospect of going back on the road to take on Bethlehem Steel FC next weekend at a venue to be announced. The Rowdies will return home Saturday, June 29 to host Ottawa Fury FC. Tickets are available here.

Scoring Summary
Tampa Bay: Sebastian Guenzatti - 39th minute (assisted by Malik Johnson)
Charleston: Ian Svantesson - 88th minute (assisted by Arthur Bosua)

Caution Summary
Charleston: Kyle Nelson - 29th minute
Tampa Bay: Sebastian Guenzatti - 58th minute
Tampa Bay: Dom Oduro - 86th minute
Charleston: Nico Rittmeyer - 90th minute

Starting Lineups
Rowdies XI (3-5-2): GK John McCarthy; D Tarek Morad, Pape Diakite, Caleb Richards; M Malik Johnson, Kwadwo Poku (Yann Ekra 80'), Zach Steinberger, Dom Oduro, David Najem (Jordan Doherty 75'); F Sebastian Guenzatti (c), Brandon Allen (Juan Tejada 63')

Charleston XI: GK Joe Kuzminsky; D Kyle Nelson (Nico Rittmeyer 49'), Taylor Mueller (c), Jarad van Schaik, AJ Paterson; M Romario Piggott (Dante Marini 68'), Vincenzo Candela, Angelo Kelly, Kotaro Higashi; F Arthur Bosua, Nicque Daley (Ian Svantesson 82')