Photo: Tampa Bay Rowdies

A pair of goals from red-hot striker Cal Jennings led the Tampa Bay Rowdies to a 2-1 home victory over Louisville City FC on Saturday night.

Jennings struck in both halves to hand LouCity a setback in their push for playoff seeding. He opened the scoring in the 39th minute before netting the eventual winner in the 61st at Al Lang Stadium, where City has struggled historically. 

Wilson Harris pulled LouCity level right after halftime with a long-range strike. But Jennings continued his rich vein of form to seal maximum points for the Rowdies.

“It was two good teams tonight,” remarked LouCity coach Danny Cruz. “We now have to learn from this game.”

His side brought momentum into the contest on a two-game winning streak. And City created chances for an equalizer late but lacked the decisive finishing touch.

The defeat saw playoff contenders LouCity and Tampa Bay trade spots, with the Rowdies climbing to fourth in the Eastern Conference and City dropping to fifth.

LouCity keeper Oliver Semmle made a handful of big saves after Harris tied the game. But defensive lapses allowed Jennings to net his fourth and fifth goals over a prolific five-game scoring run.  

Cruz felt there were positives to take from the performance despite the frustrating result, including the improved second-half showing. But failing to translate periods of control into goals continues to plague City.

With only six regular season games remaining, LouCity will quickly turn the page to another tough test next Saturday when San Diego Loyal SC visits Lynn Family Stadium.

Maximizing points against fellow playoff hopefuls is crucial for LouCity to get back on track and solidify postseason positioning after this missed opportunity.

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