Written by Ryan Flynn
In the sweltering heat of a late June evening, the Sarasota Paradise prepared for their 7:30 kickoff in front of a home crowd. As the Paradise mentally and physically prepared for their game, just 50 miles to the north, Tampa Bay United were playing hard to knock off first place Miami AC- a game Tampa Bay would ultimately win 3-2.
Tampa Bay’s victory left the Paradise in position to claim sole possession of first place in the South Florida Division with a win over St Pete. As the players lined up in formation and the referee readied to blow his whistle, the stakes were as high as the humidity. The Paradise went on the attack early, as winger James Maxwell led a charge three minutes into the game, sprinting down the left side of the field only to be stopped by the St Pete defense. The Paradise didn’t have to wait long to attack again when, just five minutes later, JP Jordan intercepted a pass and fed it to Seth Mahlmeister who found Will Pierce to make it a 1-0 Paradise lead.
The rest of the first half was a defensive slugfest, with both teams trading possession frequently and playing stout defense to deny goals. The Paradise had a chance in the 11th minute when Mahlmeister threaded a pass to a wide open Kai Tamashiro, but the striker was unable to convert the opportunity. The rest of the first half featured suffocating defense from Sarasota’s back four, foiling every attack St Pete launched, and helping keeper Charlie Farrar preserve a shutout first half.
The game remained at 1-0 until the closing seconds of the first half, when an Enzo Panozzo throw-in found the head of Will Pierce, who put the ball in the net to grab himself a brace and extend Sarasota’s lead to 2-0. The second half unfolded like a heavyweight boxing match, with both teams delivering shots but neither getting the knockout blow.
The score stayed 2-0 until the 87th minute, when a long ball from St Pete in their own half found a streaking Tristan Bassette, who put it past Sarasota keeper Charlie Farrar to cut the lead to 2-1 and send the Sarasota fans into a stunned silence. The goal would be the only one of the night for St Pete, however, as the referee blew his whistle eight minutes later to signal the end of the game and give the Paradise sole possession of first place in the South Florida Division.
“Always good to get a win” added Pierce after the game. “Really happy getting three points.” Keeper Charlie Farrar echoed his teammate, saying he was “happy to get the job done,” and that he is “looking forward to Wednesday [versus TBU]”.
UP NEXT
The Paradise continue their homestand on Wednesday, July 3 as they welcome Tampa Bay United to Cleland Stadium. Get tickets at sarasotaparadise.us/july3
