The Indomitable Club grabbed another important road result this past weekend, securing a 1-1 draw with Tampa Bay Rowdies to stay atop the league table. Amid stormy conditions and against one of the hottest teams in the league, Republic FC overcame a tough start to tally its second come-from-behind point in league play season.
Even if not a win, it was a satisfying result to a match considered to be one of the toughest on the schedule this season. Tampa Bay entered on a five-match winning streak spanning an unbeaten month of May. Sacramento didn’t play its best to open the contest, but found their footing after a pair of chances provided some confidence and a stellar defensive effort by Jack Gurr kept the hosts from doubling their advantage.
“[A] great point on the road. A really hard place to come,” said Head Coach Mark Briggs after the match. “I thought [it was] a story of two halves really for the first 35-40 minutes I didn’t think we turned up and I didn’t think we played. But then [in the] second half we pulled a performance out and we were about a much better team and dominated I felt.”
“Once we got the goal, we kind of changed our mindset a bit, and were on the front foot and I think [in the] second half we dominated the game,” said Nick Ross. “We’re kind of disappointed we didn’t win but it’s a tough place to come.”
It was the foot of Ross that netted the equalizer for Sacramento just before the first half came to a close. Fresh off his nomination for May Player of the Month, Russell Cicerone took possession with space to attack, pushed forward and fed the Scotsman the ball through a tight window for a clinical finish. It marked Ross’ second goal this season across all competitions, and first in league play as a Quail.
The score gave Sacramento the jolt they needed after working to shift the momentum against a confident side out of the gate. In the second half, the Quails had the control, dominated possession at a 70% clip, and nearly pulled a head on a handful of occasions – the kind of performance that the club would love to take into this week’s contest at San Diego.
“[In the] second half, we showed character and we showed belief,” Briggs continued. “Obviously we scored our goal right at the end of the first half, but I thought we’d dominated in the second half and to come up with a point, I’m happy. I think it’s a fair reflection on the game and a fair result.”
“We put them under pressure a bit more and I think it helped, and we dominated the second half,” Ross continued. “We keep going like that, especially away from home, we’ll pick up a lot more points.”
Sacramento closes out its three-match road trip with another difficult match. Friday, the club heads to south to face San Diego Loyal SC for the final time this season, before finally returning home to face Monterey Bay F.C. on June 17.
