Carter Manley scores game-tying goal at the end of regulation
ST. PETERSBURG, Fl. (March 16, 2024) – San Antonio FC battled back late in the second half to secure a hard-fought road point against the Tampa Bay Rowdies in a 2-2 draw Saturday.
Tampa Bay struck first off a corner kick opportunity early in the 4th minute and would carry a 1-0 lead into the half.
The Rowdies doubled their lead later in the second half, but SAFC refused to go down without a fight. Just a minute after subbing onto the pitch in his debut, Bura Nogueira took a pass from Kameron Lacey and found space past a defender to put San Antonio on the board with a far-post finish. In the final minute of regulation, Carter Manley broke through after a scramble in the box to slam home the game-tying goal. With the comeback draw, SAFC moves to 0-0-2 on the season.
Next Up
San Antonio FC is back home to host Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC Saturday, March 23. Kickoff from Toyota Field is set for 7:30 p.m. CT, and the match will be broadcast on ESPN+. The 2024 season is presented by Toyota.
Scoring Summary:
TBR: Cal Jennings (Assisted by Blake Bodily) 4’
TBR: Manuel Arteaga (Assisted by Pacifique Niyongabire) 72’
SAFC: Bura Nogueira (Assisted by Kameron Lacey) 83’
SAFC: Carter Manley (Assisted by Jorge Hernandez) 91’
Postgame Notes:
- With his start tonight, Mitchell Taintor notched his 100th SAFC appearance across all competitions.
- Bura Nogueira is the third SAFC member to score in his club debut this season after Lucas Silva and Juan Agudelo.
- Carter Manley’s game-tying goal was his third with SAFC since joining in 2022.
- Jorge Hernandez maintains his league lead with three assists in two matches played. The midfielder is tied for fourth in chances created with five.
- Pablo Sisniega made five saves to preserve a point for SAFC. The 28-year-old has made nine saves on the season, good for second in the league.
Attendance: 7,500
SAFC Starting XI: Pablo Sisniega, Carter Manley, Kendall Burks, Mitchell Taintor (captain), Luke Haakenson, Kevon Lambert, Mohammed Abu (Bura Nogueira 83’), Mohomed Omar (Kameron Lacey 46’), Lucas Silva (Shannon Gomez 75’), Jorge Hernandez, Juan Agudelo
Substitutions Not Used: Kendall McIntosh, Richard Windbichler, Trova Boni, Jose Mulato
Disciplinary Summary:
SAFC: Yellow Card (Jorge Hernandez) 14’
TBR: Yellow Card (Cal Jennings) 16’
TBR: Yellow Card (Forrest Lasso) 19’
TBR: Yellow Card (Blake Bodily) 28’
TBR: Yellow Card (Daniel Crisostomo) 45’
SAFC: Yellow Card (Kameron Lacey) 66’
SAFC: Yellow Card (Luke Haakenson) 76’
Quotes:
Head Coach Alen Marcina
(On the team’s performance…)
I’m proud of the guys asserting our team identity away in such a hostile environment. I felt we were relentless in our pressing actions. We dominated space with the ball, and the guys were incredibly resilient. I felt we were robbed of three points with that unfortunate disallowed goal right at the end, but all in all, very, very proud of the guys.”
(On Nogueira’s immediate impact…)
“We ask of all our players entering the game to be game changers, to bring energy, the intensity, so that their teammates can feed off that, and he did exceptionally welle entering the game. Obviously, got a nice goal and dominated his one v. one duels.”
Defender Carter Manley
(On overall thoughts of the match…)
“I thought it was good. It showed that we have a lot of resilience to come back from two-zero down, from away. I think it showed a good mentality from the team and good performance to come back and show that we have that fight, that grit to face that adversity.”
(On scoring the game-tying goal…)
“We were really pushing for that second goal and funny enough, Coach Alen was telling me, ‘Push up, push up,’ right before and Jorge went in for it, laid it off for me, and I just happened to be in a good position to finish it off.”
