Tampa Bay Hellenic News Release - www.tbhellenic.com
Sunday, July 6, 2008
TAMPA, FL -- The Hampton Roads Piranhas rallied to post a 1-1 draw in Tampa Sunday against the division’s third-place Hellenic after a lengthy delay for an afternoon thunderstorm.
The Tampa Bay Hellenic didn’t have a tie all season….until this weekend, and now they have two. The Hampton Road Piranhas were in town Sunday to play the Hellenic in their final home match of the season. The Tampa team had played Atlanta to a 0-0 tie last Friday night on July 4th.
Just about the time the starting whistle was due to blow, instead both teams heard the siren of the lightning detection system at the Ed Radice Park, and the start of the game was delayed an hour and a half. When the game finally started, the temperature was soaring and both teams seemed to feel the effects of two games in an incredibly hot weekend in Florida, the Piranhas having played Bradenton the day prior.
The Hellenic struck first in the ninth minute when Laura Baeza scored off an assist from Stacy Bishop.
The Hellenic seemed to have control of the game, with twelve shots in the first half to the Piranhas five, but that goal remained the lone goal of the first half and the teams entered the locker rooms with the Hellenic leading 1-0.
The second half began as the first half ended, with the Hellenic having the best of possession, but a ball was played out to Piranhas player Joy Nsubuga, who caught the Hellenic defense off guard and she scored for the Piranhas, tying the game at one apiece in the 55th minute of the game.
Even though the Hellenic got off 17 shots in the second half, none of them found the back of the net and the game ended in the 1-1 tie. It was a frustrating match for the home team who managed 29 shots on goal to their opponents nine, but in the end, all that really matters is the final score.
The Hellenic’s record now stands at 7-3-2. The Tampa draw put the Charlotte Lady Eagles into the W-League playoffs.
The Hellenic take to the road next weekend for the final two games of their inaugural season where they will meet the Carolina Dynamo and the Carolina RailHawks.
