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Matchday Report: Rowdies Rebound, Earn Win against Loudoun

By USLChampionship.com Staff, 07/24/21, 9:38PM EDT

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Guenzatti caps 3-1 victory with ninth goal of season after Guillen, Fernandes found net

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Aaron Guillen and Leo Fernandes scored early in either half while Sebastian Guenzatti recorded his ninth goal of the season as the Tampa Bay Rowdies took a 3-1 victory against Loudoun United FC on Saturday night at Al Lang Stadium.

Looking to break a three-game losing streak, the Rowdies got to work quickly and almost took the lead inside the opening minute when Guenzatti headed a corner kick from the left by Lewis Hilton toward the right corner of the net, forcing a good save by Loudoun’s Jermaine Fordah as he turned the ball wide of the post under pressure. The United goalkeeper then had to bail out his own mistake as under pressure he sent the ball to Tampa Bay’s Laurence Wyke but recovered to save his shot.

The Rowdies took the lead in the seventh minute, though, as center back Guillen brought the ball through midfield, found Zach Steinberger with a lifted pass and then continued his run to get onto Steinberger’s through ball and put the hosts on top with a low shot that Fordah got a hand to but couldn’t keep out.

The early high pressure from the hosts gradually diminished after the opening 15 minutes and midway through the half Loudoun almost answered back as a low corner kick from the right was kept alive by the visitors, creating a chance for Timmy Mehl that was cleared from inside his own six-yard area by Rowdies defender Forrest Lasso. But Wyke almost added a second for Tampa Bay on the half-hour mark, taking possession after a clever backheeled pass by Guenzatti in the right side of the penalty area that set up a low shot that hit the left post and caromed back into the arms of Fordah.

Tampa Bay continued to press for a second goal before the halftime break, with first Steinberger being denied with a sliding shot after a good move upfield and then Guenzatti having a pair of chances, the first parried by Fordah before he sent the rebound off target. The Rowdies struck seven minutes into the second half, however, as Fernandes laced home a finish from 25 yards into the right corner of the net.

Loudoun pulled a goal back with 20 minutes to go as Erik Sorga got into space on the right before sending a lateral pass to Nicky Downs, who hit a bouncing shot from 20 yards that took a deflection off a defender to send it past Evan Louro in the Tampa Bay goal. Four minutes later, however, the Rowdies’ restored their two-goal advantage as Yann Ekra marked his 200th regular-season appearance in the Championship with an assist as he sent Guenzatti away for a counterattack that Tampa Bay’s captain slotted home into the left side of the net.

Sorga went close again for the visitors with six minutes to go with a shot from 25 yards that Louro had to palm wide of the left post, and the Rowdies had to see out the closing stages with 10 men after Dayonn Harris suffered a late injury with the hosts having used all five substitutes prior, but did so in comfortable fashion to move back level on points with Pittsburgh Riverhounds SC at the top of the Atlantic Division.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Lewis Hilton, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Hilton recorded one assist and five key passes while also notching a pair of shots and recording 13 recoveries in the center of midfield in a strong two-way performance for the hosts.

Scoring Summary
TBR
– Aaron Guillen (Zach Steinberger) 7’
TBR – Leo Fernandes (Lewis Hilton) 52’
LDN – Nicky Downs (Erik Sorga) 70’
TBR – Sebastian Guenzatti (Yann Ekra) 74’

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