Soccer Bowl 2012

Soccer Bowl 2012 was the North American Soccer League's postseason championship final of the 2012 season. Also known as the NASL Championship Series 2012, the event was contested in a two-game aggregate match between the Tampa Bay Rowdies and, the defending 2011 NASL champions, the Minnesota Stars. The first leg was held on October 20, 2012 at National Sports Center, in Blaine, Minnesota, while the second on October 27, 2012 at Al Lang Stadium, in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Soccer Bowl 2012
NASL Championship Series 2012
EventSoccer Bowl
Minnesota Stars Tampa Bay Rowdies
3 3
on aggregate
Tampa Bay Rowdies won 3–2 on penalties
First leg
Minnesota Stars Tampa Bay Rowdies
2 0
DateOctober 20, 2012 (2012-10-20)
VenueNational Sports Center, Blaine, Minnesota
Man of the MatchJeff Attinella
Attendance4,642
Second leg
Tampa Bay Rowdies Minnesota Stars
3 1
After extra time
DateOctober 27, 2012 (2012-10-27)
VenueAl Lang Stadium, St. Petersburg, Florida
Attendance6,208

After a two-day competition, both sides were tied at three points apiece. Following extra time, the game went to penalty shoot-out. In the end, the Tampa Bay Rowdies were victorious and became the 2012 NASL champions.[1][2]

Background

The defending Soccer Bowl champion Minnesota Stars finished sixth in league standings with 35 points and a record of 8-11-9. They qualified for the NASL playoffs as the low seed of six teams. The Stars defeated the third seeded Puerto Rico Islanders in a single-match quarterfinal game, 2–1. In the two-legged semifinals Minnesota defeated the top-seeded San Antonio Scorpions, 2–1, on aggregate. The victory allowed them to advance to their second straight Soccer Bowl.

The Tampa Bay Rowdies finished in second position on the league table with a record of 12-9-7 for 47 points, which was two points behind San Antonio's table-topping total of 49. As the number-two seed in the playoffs the Rowdies earned a quarterfinal bye. Tampa Bay faced the fourth seeded Carolina RailHawks in the semifinals, winning 5–4 on aggregate, which earned them the right to play in Soccer Bowl 2012.

Game summary

Minnesota won the first leg, 2–0, on goals by Amani Walker in the 67th minute and Martin Nunez in injury time. Without an away-goals rule, at a minimum Tampa Bay needed to win the return leg by any two-goal margin to keep hope alive. In the second leg Carl Cort scored on a rebound for the Rowdies in the 25th minute and Keith Savage scored in the 51st minute to level the series. The Stars quickly regained their advantage on a score by Lucas Rodríguez in the 52nd minute. Dan Antoniuk's dramatic 86th minute goal leveled the aggregate at four apiece, and a few minutes later teammate Shane Hill was given a straight red card during injury time. With neither team able to score in extra time, the match moved to penalty kicks. Luke Mulholland, Raphael Cox, and Fafà Picault all converted from the spot for Tampa Bay, while Rowdies goalie Jeff Attinella saved three of Minnesota's five attempts to secure the Soccer Bowl title for Tampa Bay.

Championship results
Team 1 Aggregate Team 2 First leg Second leg Attendance
Tampa Bay Rowdies3–3Minnesota Stars0–23–1 (a.e.t.)
(Penalty Shoot-out 3–2)		October 20 National Sports Center 4,642
October 27 Al Lang Stadium 6,208

First leg
F – 1st Leg
Minnesota Stars2–0Tampa Bay Rowdies
Amani Walker  67'
Kentaro Takada  84'
Martin Nunez  90+4'		 Report
Report
Report 3		 Mike Ambersley  48'
Attendance: 4,642
Referee: Kevin Terry, Jr.
Minnesota Stars
Tampa Bay

Second leg
F – 2nd Leg
Tampa Bay Rowdies3–1 (a.e.t.)Minnesota Stars
Carl Cort  25'  58'
Mike Ambersley  26'
Keith Savage  51'
Luke Mulholland  82'
Dan Antoniuk  86'  90+1'
Shane Hill  90'		 Report
Report
Report 3		 Justin Davis  32'
Simone Bracalello  45+1'
Lucas Rodríguez  52'
Penalties
Luke Mulholland
Raphael Cox
Fafà Picault
Carl Cort 		3–2 Neil Hlavaty
Devin Del Do
Kyle Altman
Simone Bracalello
Lucas Rodríguez
Attendance: 6,208
Referee: Alejandro Mariscal
Tampa Bay[3]
Minnesota Stars


2012 NASL Champions: Tampa Bay Rowdies

See also

References
  1. NASL. "Tampa Bay Wins NASL Championship Series After Penalty Shootout - Rowdies Lift Soccer Bowl Trophy In Dramatic Fashion". North American Soccer League.
  2. NASL. "NASLSoccerBowl - History - Past Winner". North American Soccer League.
  3. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on October 15, 2013. Retrieved January 2, 2014.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
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