ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – The Tampa Bay Rowdies grabbed a late equalizer through Leon Taylor’s first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Nashville SC on Saturday night before a crowd of 6,082 at Al Lang Stadium. Tampa Bay had the first good look on goal only for Michael Nanchoff to send a free kick just outside the penalty area well over the crossbar, but in the 22nd minute Nashville broke the deadlock as Lebo Moloto capitalized on a quick counterattack off a midfield turnover and finished low past Rowdies goalkeeper Akira Fitzgerald. The Rowdies almost hit back immediately as a free kick saw first Hunter Gorskie have a well-struck shot blocked before the rebound was sent high by Tamika Mkandawire, and the hosts continued to press before the halftime break as Junior Flemmings had a shot saved by NSC goalkeeper Matt Pickens before a deflected shot by Gorskie just went wide of the right post. Pickens had to make another good save to keep out an effort by Nanchoff, and the Rowdies’ pressure continued into second half as Leo Fernandes shot just wide of the right post in the 53rd minute. Nashville almost added a second 11 minutes later, only for Matt LaGrassa to send his header from a corner kick wide of the left post, and shortly after Pickens was called into action again as Fernandes again tried to strike from long range. With six minutes to go, however, the Rowdies’ pressure paid off as second-half substitute Taylor pounced on a deflected shot by Gorskie and put home his finish into the left side of the net. Flemmings almost stole victory for the Rowdies in stoppage time as he made a sharp interception of a pass in the attacking third, only to chip his finish past an approaching Pickens wide of the left post, but that would be the last real chance as honors ended even.

Scoring:
22’ – NSH – Lebo Moloto (Ropapa Mensah)
84’ – TBR – Leon Taylor

• #TBRvNSH: Highlights and Opta Box Score

Three Things That Matter:

• 1. The Rowdies maintained both their undefeated record at Al Lang Stadium this season and their undefeated mark under new Head Coach Neill Collins as they finally blew down the barricades of Nashville’s defense on recent addition Leon Taylor’s first goal for the club. The goal certainly had an element of good fortune to it as the ball bounced kindly for Taylor to finish off Hunter Gorskie’s long-range shot, but with the effort the host had put in to try and claim something from the game over the final hour it was a break they had earned.

• 2. Nashville’s undefeated streak reached 10 games in all competitions and seven games in league play with Saturday’s draw, and while it will feel a little deflating to have given up two points in the manner the side did on further reflection it will feel like a point they did well to earn. After Wednesday night’s victory in the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup, the trip to Tampa Bay was always going to be a challenging one against a side that was rested, and the shot numbers that saw Matt Pickens come up with a stellar five-save performance against his former club could easily have seen NSC’s streaks come to an end.

• 3. Getting a draw against a solid playoff contender on Saturday night was a plus for the Rowdies given the circumstances, and the side should take a lot of positives from a display that saw it punished for its only major mistake and still create many chances with both Joe Cole and Marcel Schafer out of the lineup due to suspension. With a bye week ahead, the Rowdies are now going to enter a key point of its season with three of their next four games at home, including a visit from Louisville City FC to end that run. The time to make hay is here for Tampa Bay to cement itself as a serious playoff contender.

USLSoccer.com Man of the Match

Leo Fernandes, Tampa Bay Rowdies – Fernandes provided a major boost to the Rowdies’ momentum when he entered to start the second half in helping the hosts earn a point.

Upcoming Games:

Tampa Bay Rowdies vs. Penn FC – June 22, 7:30 p.m. ET, Al Lang Stadium

Nashville SC vs. North Carolina FC – June 16, 8:30 p.m. ET, First Tennessee Park