Monterey Bay F.C. Falls in Home Finale to Tampa Bay Rowdies
October 3, 2022 – United Soccer League Championship (USL) – Monterey Bay FC News Release
SEASIDE, California – Monterey Bay F.C. (12-16-4, 40 points) were defeated 2-1 by the Tampa Bay Rowdies (17-7-7, 58 points) in the final home match of the season at Cardinale Stadium on Breast Cancer Awareness and Fan Appreciation Night. Sam Gleadle scored the lone goal for the Crisp and Kelp in the match.
Access the postgame quote sheet here
Monterey Bay F.C. earned an opportunity right out of the gates in the first minute of the match, but Chase Boone’s shot from outside the center of the box was saved. The Union looked dangerous again in the 5th minute when Simon Dawkins found Gleadle making a run into the center of the box, but Gleadle’s shot was saved by the goalkeeper. A minute later Tampa Bay Rowdies earned their first chance of the evening, but Leo Fernandes’ shot from close range missed to the right. In the 22nd minute, Boone found Gleadle making a run through the left side of the box and with the left foot, Gleadle buried the ball into the top right corner of the net to give the Crisp and Kelp the 1-0 lead.
Four minutes later, Dawkins earned a free kick for the Union just outside the box. The ball was whipped in towards Boone inside the six-yard box, but his shot was saved back into play. With the ball loose inside the six, Hugh Roberts looked to push the ball across the line, but his shot hit the near post and bounced out. In the 41st minute, Dawkins turned the Rowdies over in the Union’s half of the pitch. His pass to Boone led him into the box for a one-on-one opportunity against the goalkeeper, but his shot was saved, and the sides entered the break with the hosts out in front.
In the 49th minute, Tampa Bay’s Nicky Law scored with a right-footed shot that hit off the crossbar and across the line to level the match at one apiece. Then in the 67th minute, Laurence Wyke stole the lead for the Rowdies with a header from close range. Gleadle then earned the Union a free kick in the 81st minute of the match. James Murphy launched the ball into the box, but it was caught by the goalkeeper. Murphy looped a ball into the box on another free kick for Monterey Bay F.C. in the 89th minute, but a collision with the goalkeeper blew the play dead. In the seventh minute of added time, Fernandes slid dangerously into Boone from behind and was shown a straight red, leaving Tampa Bay with 10 men for the final few seconds. Despite the Crisp and Kelp’s best effort to equalize late, the chippy match ended 2-1 in favor of the visitors.
Up Next: Monterey Bay F.C. hits the road to Oklahoma to take on FC Tulsa on Saturday, October 8 in the first of two final road matches to close out the club’s inaugural regular season. Kickoff for the match is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. PT and can be watched live on ESPN+.
Notes:
– Tonight’s match was the club’s first-ever sell out, setting the stage for an exciting upcoming season for the Union in 2023.
– Sam Gleadle’s goal in the 22nd minute brings his total to eight in the campaign, tied for the team high this season with Chase Boone.
– Missing the match due to injury were Rafi Díaz (shoulder), Christian Volesky (hamstring), and Jason Johnson (quad).
Match: Monterey Bay F.C. vs Tampa Bay Rowdies
Date: October 2, 2022
Venue: Cardinale Stadium; Seaside, California
Weather: Mostly clear and 61 degrees
Attendance: 5,705
Scoring Summary: 1 2 F
Monterey Bay F.C. 1 0 1
Tampa Bay Rowdies 0 2 2
MB: Sam Gleadle (Chase Boone) 22′
TBR: Nicky Law (Leo Fernandes) 49′
TBR: Laurence Wyke (Leo Fernandes) 67′
Lineups:
Monterey Bay F.C. (4-2-3-1): Antony Siaha; Grant Robinson, Hugh Roberts, Kai Greene, Morey Doner; James Murphy (Arun Basuljevic, 84′), Mobi Fehr; Simon Dawkins (Seku Conneh, 75′), Sam Gleadle, Walmer Martínez (Adrian Rebollar, 75′); Chase Boone
Subs not used: Carlos Herrera, Hunter Gorskie, Jiro Barriga Toyama, Chris Cortez
Tampa Bay Rowdies (3-4-3): Phil Breno; Aaron Guillen, William Antley (Robert Castellanos, 45′), Jordan Scarlett; Sebastian Dalgaard (Jake Areman, 84′), Leo Fernandes, Laurence Wyke, Lewis Hilton; Yann Ekra (Nicky Law, 45′), Sebastian Guenzatti (Kyle Greig, 84′), Jake LaCava (Dayonn Harris, 45′)
Subs not used: Brunallergene Etou, Lucky Mkosana
Stats Summary: MB / TBR
Shots: 11 / 7
Shots on Goal: 9 / 3
Saves: 1 / 7
Corner Kicks: 2 / 4
Fouls: 13 / 16
Possession: 41.6% / 58.4%
Misconduct Summary:
TBR: Nicky Law (caution) 87′
TBR: Robert Castellanos (caution) 87′
TBR: Leo Fernandes (dismissal) 90+7′
Officials:
Referee: Melvin Rivas
Assistant Referee: Matthew Seem
Assistant Referee: Alberto Azpeitia-Palomino
Fourth Official: Peter Hanson
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