Article written by Ryan Flynn
St. Petersburg, FL – Hours after Miami AC reclaimed the top spot in the South Florida Division, Seth Mahlmeister looked for an opening as he made his way into the opposing half of the field. Under a setting sun, the Sarasota Paradise striker slotted a pass through to Will Pierce who put it past the St. Petersburg keeper to give the Paradise a 3-2 lead in the 77th minute.
This strike would be the difference maker, as the Paradise would hold onto this lead until the final whistle, securing three points and rejoining Miami as division leaders. The game didn’t go the Paradise’s way at the start, as St. Pete’s Thomas Lamb put a ball past Sarasota keeper Charlie Farrar from the penalty spot to give the St. Pete FC a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the game.
St Pete would extend their lead thanks to Thomas Shepard herding the ball into the net to make it 2-0 after 17 minutes. The Paradise cut the lead in half in the 24th minute thanks to Cody Read, who headed the ball into the net to cut the deficit to 2-1.
The score remained 2–1 until the 72nd minute, when Kai Tamashiro raced down the field and put the ball past the St. Pete keeper to tie the game at 2. The Paradise took the lead seven minutes later as Mahlmeister found Will Pierce who put the ball in the back of the net to make it 3-2, sending the Paradise bench into a frenzy and silencing the St.Pete crowd.
“I thought it was a good shift from the lads” said Pierce, “coming back from 0-2 against any team isn’t easy.” This win put Sarasota level with Miami AC at the top of the table for the South Florida Division with 5 games left to play in the season.
The man of the match was awarded to JP Jordan who came on at the start of the second half and changed the tempo, created chances, and was a key defensive player.
The Paradise return home THIS SUNDAY NIGHT AT 7:30 PM. Join the Paradise as we continue our incredible season vs Weston FC at Sarasota High. Let’s go Paradise!!!! Visit sarasotaparadise.us/june23 to get your ticket!