Joe Cole’s Double Gets Tampa Bay Back In The Win Column

Photo credit: Matt May/Tampa Bay Rowdies

Tampa Bay ended a three-game losing streak and sent Rayo OKC to its third straight loss as Joe Cole scored twice in the Rowdies' 2-0 win at Al Lang Stadium on Saturday night.

Tampa Bay (3W-2D-6L, 11 points) squandered an opportunity to take the lead in the first 10 minutes when Rayo OKC (3-4-4, 13) goalkeeper Daniel Fernandes dove to his left to deny Cole on a penalty kick. It was Cole’s lead pass to Georgi Hristov that forced Richard Menjivar to take down the Bulgarian striker in the penalty area. Fernandes came up big again in the 36th minute when he made a fingertip save on a shot by Eric Avila that was ticketed for the far, lower corner of the goal.

Cole redeemed himself when he scored his team-leading sixth goal of the season, in the 61st minute. Cole slipped his marker and took a pass from Hristov, turning and striking the ball off the near post and past Fernandes. Cole picked up his second of the game less than 10 minutes later, tapping in a rebound from an Avila shot as the Rowdies broke down the field on a lightning-fast counterattack.

For more information on the game, head over to rowdiessoccer.com and rayokc.com.