VSI Tampa Bay FC battled the Los Angeles Blues and the weather en route to a 3-2 victory on Sunday evening. The win nets VSI the season sweep of the Blues.
The first twenty-four minutes of the match saw both teams create many opportunities that breached the opponents’ penalty box, but neither team could conquer the other.
It all changed in the 25th minute of play when Los Angeles’ Gabriel Gonzalez unleashed a perfectly placed cross that was headed home by George Davis IV. Davis subbed into the match a minute earlier.
Los Angeles lead was short lived as VSI’s Shawn Chin tied the match with a ball launched in from 24 yards out.
The score remained 1-1 until the end of the first half. After an hour of lightning delays both sides reentered the match eager to take the victory. In the 51st minute of play a shot by VSI’s Tony Donatelli looked as if it would bring VSI Tampa Bay FC over the Blues, however shot launched just wide of the net.
Not a minute later Donatelli would produce a strike that was redirected by Sean Reynolds’ header that would give the home team the 2-1 lead.
This time however, it was L.A. who rallied back quickly when a cross by Shane Spitz found its’ way into the net to knot the score at two a piece in the 60th minute.
In the 74th minute Douglas Dos Santos looked to get the game leading goal, but Blues keeper Carl Woszczynski was able to somehow redirect the shot. The redirected save landed at the feet of VSI’s Andriy Budnyy who calmly collected the ball and deposited it into the back of the net.
The goal was Budnyy’s second in as many games. This strike was enough to give VSI a lead they would not relinquish, and the 3-2 victory.
“It wasn’t ideal weather,” said Andriy Budnyy. “It definitely could’ve gone either way. Sometimes you have to win games like that. It feels good to win.”
“It’s pretty exhilarating,” said Sean Reynolds when asked about his first professional goal. “The game started off slow but coach got onto us and we came out more fired up after the half.”
Win the win – their second straight and third in the last four games – VSI pulls even with Orlando and Los Angeles atop the USL Pro table with nine points a piece.
VSI faces the Dayton Dutch Lions at home Friday, April 26 at 8 p.m.. For tickets to the match visit www.vsi-fc.com.