Colin O'HaraIt took 87 minutes for someone to realize the six-foot-three-inch Neill Collins was inside the goal box during every corner kick of the match, but on the team’s seventh attempt at scoring from the set piece, Collins was sent in a lovely ball from Michael Nanchoff and headed it home to tie the match at one goal a peace.

“It was frustrating because Michael Nanchoff’s deliveries have been pretty good this season and we changed it. Everyone went back post tonight. But we got on the money there and it was good to be on the end of it,” Collins said. “I thought we deserved it.”

Colin O'HaraCollins has started and finished all 12 matches for the Rowdies this season, totaling 1,080 minutes of play. This is the defender's first goal of the season.

It was a sobering reminder that even Rowdies are human. Their opponent, St Louis FC, was on a four-game losing streak, but struck first after 58 minutes of play to take the lead 1-0. Tampa Bay couldn’t answer back with a winner, but did salvage a draw against the struggling side.

But to err is human and the Rowdies were not the only humans on the field.

Refereeing miscues took center stage, starting in the opening minutes of the evening. The referee was quicker to hand out yellow cards quicker than Oprah can hand out a car to unsuspecting audience members, and quickly fueled the frustration and anger of players that lasted throughout the match.

“It affects individuals,” Collins said. “It takes a slight competitive edge off because you feel one wrong tackle and you could be sent off.

Colin O'Hara“We’ll all agree the match was very stop-start and we’re looking for a much faster-flowing game, and [the yellow cards] really set the tone of the game …. But that’s the just part of the passion of football.”

Even the habitually at-ease coach Stuart Campbell aired a bit of his frustrations on how the match was officiated.

“I don’t think there was a bad tackle all night, from both teams,” Campbell said. “For me, a lot of the yellow cards were soft.”

But these frustrations were not used as excuses. Though a tough draw, the Rowdies are still kicking it in second place, only two points shy of the top spot.

Colin O'HaraAnd the Rowdies’ hectic schedule only continues from here. The team will travel to Miami to face Miami FC in the next installment of the U.S. Open Cup on Wednesday night before travelling to Charlotte, North Carolina for a match on Sunday in efforts to take the top spot in the league.

“That’s the best part of being a professional soccer player; playing games,” Campbell said. He added that the best part was also playing on the home field in front of the home fans.

“Those fans, who were absolutely great, create a fantastic atmosphere. They were a big part of getting us back in the game.”

The boys will be on the road for the foreseeable future, but return to Al Lang on Saturday, June 10 to look for revenge against the Rochester Rhinos.