BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies’ and Bethlehem Steel FC’s undefeated runs in the Eastern Conference continued Wednesday, as the clubs recorded a 2-2 draw at Goodman Stadium. Georgi Hristov and Hunter Gorskie netted the goals for the Rowdies, while Corey Burke and Seku Conneh scored the goals for the home side. After Marcel Schäfer was taken down in the box in the 35th minute, Hristov opened the scoring with a conversion from the penalty spot. Burke scored a quality strike in the 47th minute, but the Rowdies took the lead again in the 55th minute, thanks to Gorskie’s finish via a Schäfer service into the box. Conneh would make sure Steel FC walked away with at least one point with a finish in the 78th minute. With the win, Tampa Bay moves to 12-7-9 this campaign, while Steel FC is now 11-11-6 overall.

Scoring:
36’ – TBR – Georgi Hristov (Penalty)
47’ – BST – Cory Burke (Matthew Real)
55’ – TBR – Hunter Gorskie (Marcel Schäfer)
78’ – BST – Seku Conneh (Adam Najem)

• #BSTvTBR: Full match and Opta box score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. Thanks to a solid September to date, the Rowdies are still on pace to clinch a spot in the 2017 USL Cup Playoffs this weekend. The club can book its spot by earning a victory in a showdown with Bethlehem at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday. Should the Rowdies not win that match, they would have three games left to lock up their spot.
• 2. Wednesday’s tie is a tough one to swallow for Bethlehem but not the worst result it could have gotten, as the club remains in the fight for a place in the USL Cup Playoffs. The club has now gone undefeated in four consecutive matches, but three of those outings were draws. Now, the team travels south for an important road match against the Rowdies, as the team hopes to stay above playoff contenders Orlando City B, New York Red Bulls II, Saint Louis FC and the Pittsburgh Riverhounds.
• 3. While Tampa Bay had reason to enjoy the road point, it will surely be disappointed to see Michael Nanchoff be stretchered off in the first half. Moments after the Rowdies took the advantage via a Hristov penalty-kick conversion, Corey Burke challenged Nanchoff in the midfield, and the Rowdies midfielder went down immediately. The 29-year-old has been a big part of Tampa Bay’s first team this year, providing six assists in 20 games.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match:

Marcel Schäfer, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Schäfer factored into both of the Rowdies’ goals on Wednesday, causing the penalty that led to the first goal of the game and assisting his team’s second goal. He also completed 72.7 percent of his passes while creating three chances for his club.

Upcoming Games:
Bethlehem Steel FC at Tampa Bay Rowdies – Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. ET, Al Lang Stadium
Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Bethlehem Steel FC – Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. ET, Al Lang Stadium