Goals by Aaron King, Keith Savage, and Omar Jarun completed an undefeated pre-season for FC Tampa Bay against the University of South Florida tonight. The offense, having five weeks of training under their belt, looked closer to clicking on all cylinders than they had at any point this year.
Keith Savage scored at the 23rd minute, the ball bouncing underneath the wall and taking a hop off the grass past goalie Eric Oswald. Strong midfield play was the cause of a domination of possession throughout the rest of the first half.
A scramble in the box in the 62nd minute lead to Savage chipping a ball to teammate King who slotted the ball with a one-timer past the scrambling keeper. The scoring concluded off a cross to the newest defender to the team, Omar Jarun. Jarun, towering over his marking defender, headed the ball into the net.
The solid defending continued, and with the offense looking closer and closer to clicking, next week’s season opener against Montreal ahead will be the biggest test the team has faced under the new regime. Saturday’s game against Montreal at Al Lang Field kicks off at 7 PM. Tickets begin at $10.