ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies struck twice in the first half and extended their lead at the top of Group H to five points with a 2-0 victory against the Philadelphia Union II on Sunday night at Al Lang Stadium. The Rowdies are now six points ahead of the Charleston Battery, with the sides set to meet next Friday night at the Battery’s Patriots Point home.

After a two-hour, 27-minute delay to kickoff due to lightning, the Rowdies quickly opened the scoring in the sixth minute. An angled pass to the right flank by Aaron Guillen gave Malik Johnson space, and he produced a perfect first touch that sent him past his marker and to the byline before cutting back a low cross to the top of the six-yard area that Sebastian Guenzatti turned home into the left corner.

The Union II almost found an equalizer in the 17th minute as young standout Paxten Aaronson picked up possession on the right and cut infield before unleashing a shot from 25 yards that struck the left side of the crossbar and went behind for a goal kick. Tampa Bay quickly got back on the front foot, though, and both Zach Steinberger and Yann Ekra went close to adding to the host’s lead, narrowly missing the target.

Ekra was then handed a big chance in the 25th minute as Union II goalkeeper Mitchell Budler misjudged a ball over the top that resulted in the ball rebounding off his shins. The ball went directly to Ekra and he fired first time toward the open net but Union II defender Brandan Craig got back in time to make an excellent clearance denying the goal.

The Union II got another pair of crucial blocks, both of which denied Johnson a goal to add to his earlier assist. On both occasions a low cross from the left side came to the Canadian winger as he cut into the right side of the penalty area for a first-time finish, but Anton Sorenson and Ben Ofeimu kept Johnson off the board.

Six minutes before halftime, though, Steinberger and Ekra combined for the Rowdies’ second. After a throw-in on the left, the ball was worked to Steinberger around five yards outside the top-left corner of the penalty area. The midfielder drove to the byline and cut back a pass to Ekra 14 yards from goal, and his first-time shot went low into the net.

Philadelphia almost pulled a goal back with the final action of the first half as Luis Flores was put into a good position breaking forward on a flicked pass by Anges Bohui, but Flores’ shot from 20 yards went narrowly wide of the left post.

The Rowdies threatened to add a third midway through the second half as Guenzatti delivered a beautiful curled pass in behind the Union II defense for an attacking run by Jordan Doherty, but Budler made a good save to deny the one-on-one opportunity. Doherty looked lively late on too as he went in search of a goal, and he almost flicked home a corner kick by Lewis Hilton in the 89th minute from the right side only to see it slide wide of the left post. But Tampa Bay was never in much danger of conceding at the other end as it cruised to its eighth win of the season and the verge of a postseason berth.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Malik Johnson, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Johnson recorded one assist, two key passes and four shots while completing 5 of 6 dribbles and winning 8 of 12 duels in another strong display on the right side.