by JAKE NUTTING

The Tampa Bay Rowdies went into their final regular season meeting of the year with the Fort Lauderdale Strikers having already taken out their instate rivals twice this year. Those wins, though, were both recorded by slim one-goal margins. They earned a much more convincing scoreline in Saturday’s matchup, running away with a 4-1 result on the back of a hat trick from Georgi Hristov.

The night got off to an inauspicious start when the Rowdies conceded their first goal in two matches after only four minutes. Fort Lauderdale’s Kleberson collected a weak clearance from Martin Vingaard 25 yards out and fired a hopeful shot that instead fell to an unmarked Ramon Nunez, who calmly converted the chance from the top of the six-yard box. The Rowdies protested whether Nunez was onside to receive the ball, but the referee kept the whistle in his pocket and the goal stood.

Fort Lauderdale experienced a fleeting surge after the goal, but the Rowdies did enough to hold them off and quickly took control of the match.

An equalizer came for the Rowdies just 10 minutes after Nunez’s strike. Tommy Heinemann played a smart ball into space for Joe Cole to latch onto on the left side of the box and the veteran sent a cross on a dime to the far post that Hristov buried with a sliding finish.

The Rowdies continued to mount pressure on their hosts after the equalizer and grabbed the lead in the 36th minute with a terrific finish from Heinemann. Midfielder Justin Chavez set Heinemann up with a brilliant through ball into the box and the forward made the effort worth it by beating his defender to the ball and deftly chipping it over a sliding Bruno. The goal was Heinemann’s first since July 16 and his fourth of the year.

Here is @TommyHeinemann's 36th minute goal that put the Rowdies up 2-1 over the @FTLStrikers. pic.twitter.com/wQ5KA9bVWc — Tampa Bay Rowdies (@TampaBayRowdies) September 24, 2016

As the Strikers looked to make it to halftime with a manageable deficit, the Rowdies took advantage and produced an eight-pass sequence to extend the lead. Darnell King rifled a powerful shot toward the far post that Bruno made a strong block on, but the rebound fell to Hristov for an easy finish with ease.

The most taxing stretch for the Rowdies defense came early in the second half. Keeper Matt Pickens and the defense held strong during a two-minute stretch in which the Strikers delivered six consecutive corner kicks into the box.

“We knew the Strikers would come out and put us under pressure early on in the second half, which they did,” said head coach Stuart Campbell. “We stood firm, we withstood the pressure and were real men tonight.”

After surviving that momentary bout of pressure, the Rowdies regained hold of the match. Substitute Carlos Preciado helped spur the team over the finish line after coming on for Heinemann in the 70th minute. The Colombian penetrated the box in the 84th minute and forced Bruno to make a fingertip save that rolled into the path of Hristov, who made the simple finish into the empty net to complete his hat trick.

“I feel great,” said Hristov. “I feel great about the three points first and foremost. I’ve always said it’s about the team first. I’m happy for the three goals, but it wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for my teammates. We had some great chances. Carlos should’ve had that last one himself. We played really well tonight against a good team.”

The hat trick gives Hristov eight goals for the year, lifting him one-goal above the team’s second-highest scorer Joe Cole. With his sixth-assist of the year on Hristov’s first goal, though, Cole is still leading the team in that category by a healthy margin.

For the second week in a row, the rest of the league’s action swung in favor of the Rowdies. They created space between themselves and Fort Lauderdale and Miami FC, and picked up significant ground on Minnesota United in the chase for the fourth playoff spot. Minnesota dropped their third straight match, leaving the Rowdies only point back of them for the fourth spot in the combined standings.

“It was a huge game for us not just because it’s the Rowdies against the Strikers, but because of the importance to the playoff chase,” said Campbell. “We spoke about how important this game was and we’re absolutely delighted to come away with three points.”

The next two matches will be critical for the Rowdies as they host both Miami and Minnesota in a five-day stretch.

IMAGE, PATRICK PATTERSON/UNUSED SUBSTITUTES