ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (October 26, 2017) — If the Tampa Bay Rowdies are to hold seed and defeat the New York Red Bulls II in their USL Eastern Conference Semifinal on Saturday, slowing Red Bulls forward Stefano Bonomo will be crucial.

Bonomo, a 24-year old California native in his third season with the club, is hitting peak form at the right time, scoring five goals in five matches in the month of October. Those goals include the opener against the Rowdies at Al Lang on October 4, a hat trick in Orlando a few days later and the Red Bulls’ opener in their opening round upset of the Charleston Battery last weekend.

Bonomo entered October with six goals to his name, but has played a critical role in helping New York first qualify for the postseason and then advance.

Tasked with stopping Bonomo will be a Rowdies defensive unit that has kept back-to-back clean sheets and conceded only nine goals in 17 matches at Al Lang Stadium this season.

At the head of the pack will be Rowdies center back Hunter Gorskie, who matches up well with Bonomo due to their similarities in size and athleticism. In the clip of Bonomo’s five goals below, you’ll see it was a lingering touch from Gorskie that led to Bonomo’s goal against the Rowdies.