Don’t talk to Tampa Bay Rowdies coach Thomas Rongen about time flying.
To him, there are nights when it must seem as if it is standing still.
For the second time in three days, the Rowdies gave up a goal in the eighth minute of stoppage time and it cost them. This time, Tampa Bay gave up the equalizer in a 2-2 tie with the last-place Indy 11. Wednesday night, they gave up the game’s only goal in 1-0 loss in the U.S. Open Cup to the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
It was a difficult night all around for the Rowdies, who had to sit through a two-hour and three minute rain delay and who finished the match with only eight players after getting three red cards in the second half.
Indy’s Kyle Hyland scored the final goal to force the tie. He was about 35 yards out and blasted a shot into the top right-hand corner of the net.
The Rowdies had surrendered the first goal of the match when Dylan Mares slipped the ball past goaltender Matt Pickens. Immediately afterward, officials halted the game.
After returning to the pitch, however, the Rowdies seemed to take control. Just before the 40th minute, Rich Balchan scored to tie the game at 1. It was Balchan’s first goal with the Rowdies.
Tampa Bay took a 2-1 lead in the 68th minute when midfield Georgi Hristov hit a corner kick and found Maicon Santos for the goal.
Alas, it would not stand. For the second straight game, things slipped away in the late going. This time, the team lost Santos in the 73rd minute, defender Stefan Antonjevic in the 89th and Hristov in the final moments
The Rowdies are home for the next two weeks, playing FC Edmonton on Saturday and the Atlanta Silverbacks the following week.
