ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Jordan Adebayo-Smith provided the late breakthrough as the Tampa Bay Rowdies took a 1-0 victory against Hartford Athletic on Friday night in a game where the hosts outshot their visitors 22-2 but needed a goal five minutes from full time to provide the decisive moment and all three points.

The Rowdies were assertive from the opening kickoff and in the fifth minute they almost took the lead as Steevan Dos Santos – back in the starting lineup after injury – had a header deflected over the crossbar off a corner kick from Lewis Hilton. The hosts went close again 12 minutes later as a cleverly worked free kick set up a shot for Aaron Guillen that was saved by Hartford’s Jeff Caldwell. The rebound came to Sebastian Guenzatti, whose shot appeared to hit the arm of Athletic defender Thomas Janjigian as he lunged to try and block the effort, but no penalty was awarded.

Dos Santos had another effort in the 19th minute as a corner from the right by by Hilton to the back post was headed to the top of the six-yard area by Forrest Lasso, where the Cape Verde forward tried to angle home a finish that went just wide of the left post. Guenzatti then had a chance to break the deadlock in the 33rd minute as Yann Ekra floated a cross into the left side of the net only for the Rowdies’ captain to send his header wide of the right post.

Normally a creator, Hilton also had a go in first-half stoppage time as the ball came back to him after a free kick into the defensive wall, but his second attempt after a cross was half-cleared went just over the crossbar. After holding Hartford without a shot in the opening half, the pattern continued into the second half as Dos Santos headed wide of the right post off a cross by Guillen from the left channel.

After coming on as a second-half substitute, Lucky Mkosana got maybe the best chance of the game to that point for the Rowdies as he split through a pair of defenders to get onto a pass by Lasso, only for his low shot to the right corner of the net to be turned wide by Caldwell. Lasso then had a header with 16 minutes to go off a corner from the left by Hilton tipped behind by the Athletic goalkeeper, while Hilton fired just wide himself six minutes later.

The Rowdies efforts were rewarded with five minutes to go, however, as after a corner from the right by Hilton was headed back across goal but not within range of a teammate by Lasso, Hilton regathered possession and cut back a pass to Adebayo-Smith. His first shot was blocked, but his second from the right side of the penalty area found its way through the traffic and into the back of the net for the goal Tampa Bay had sought all night.

Hartford pushed numbers forward to try and find an equalizer in the final minutes, and the side’s second official shot came from Caldwell as he joined the attack for a late corner kick only for his header to bounce hard into the turf and go over the crossbar and onto the roof of the net. The final whistle arrived moments later, though, giving Tampa Bay its hard-fought victory.

USLChampionship.com Man of the Match

Lewis Hilton, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Hilton’s set pieces provided numerous opportunities for the hosts to break through as he finished with five key passes, and the midfielder completed 50 of 54 passes overall while making 10 recoveries and winning 4 of 5 duels.

Scoring Summary
TBR – Jordan Adebayo-Smith 85’

Full Box Score