by JAKE NUTTING

Good vibes were all over Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night for the Tampa Bay Rowdies Fall Season opener against Jacksonville Armada FC. The team saw their biggest crowd ever for a match at the historic venue and controlled play in nearly every facet.

The only thing harshing the buzz on the night was that neither the rocking atmosphere nor the dominant play translated into three points for the Rowdies against their instate rival. Instead, the two sides traded early goals within a minute of each other and ended the night in a 1-1 stalemate.

All this left Rowdies Head Coach Stuart Campbell in a conflicted state after the match, despite his players putting in what he called their best performance of the season.

“I thought we played outstanding between both boxes and you saw some of the chances that we had,” Campbell said. “We just were nowhere near clinical enough. We could’ve had three or four goals tonight, so I have mixed emotions.”

The Rowdies found themselves behind after only 12 minutes. A frenetic start by Jacksonville led to Mechack Jerome receiving the ball with enough time and space on the right wing to send in a cross for the newly acquired Zach Steinberger to charge in and flick past Matt Pickens.

Fortunately for the home side, they got the crowd right back into it less than a minute later with a wonderful build up sequence that was punctuated with an emphatic finish from Georgi Hristov. Right back Darnell King penetrated deep down the right flank and slipped a curling cross into space behind Jacksonville’s back line and Hristov burst into the area to slide in and slam it home.

From there the match was all Rowdies all the time. Kalif Alhassan held the ball up inside the box in the 20th minute and turned to rip a shot between two defenders that had everyone but the far post beat.

As the match wore on, keeper Sean Lewis stood tall in net to keep the Rowdies from pulling ahead. The first-time starter prevailed in back-to-back one-on-one situations in the 35th minute. Michael Nanchoff was the first to be denied when he was sprung into the final third, and then Juan Guerra had a well-struck chip denied by the palm of Lewis.

Lewis finished his night with 10 saves, highlighted by a miraculous diving save to swat a powerful long-distance half volley from Alhassan in the 61st minute.

Campbell was hindered with his options off the bench late in the match due to injuries to both starting center backs. At halftime, Tamika Mkandawire was forced out of an NASL match for the first time since 2014. Neil Collins then followed his defensive partner to the sideline with an injury in the 73rd minute. Stefan Antonijevic (playing his first NASL minutes of the year) and Justin Chavez both performed admirably as replacements, although Jacksonville never posed much of a threat in the second half.

The only attacker brought on to break the deadlock was Tommy Heinemann, whose most notable moment was drawing a foul on a breakaway into the final third that could have seen a red card for Beto Navarro. The defender barreled in from behind as the last man between Heinemann and the goal, but the referee only saw fit to show a yellow card. Alhassan then delivered the ensuring free kick right into the arms of Lewis.

The good news is that the Rowdies were not alone in failing to finish their match with a full three points. Three of the league’s other contests also ended in a 1-1 draw. Minnesota and New York were the only two clubs to come away with wins.

Tampa Bay is in North Carolina next week for a meeting with the reeling RailHawks, who have lost their last two league matches by a margin of seven goals.

IMAGE, TB TIMES/DAVID W. DOONAN