Match Preview: Something's got to give as The Villages SC host Lakeland Tropics Saturday

LAKELAND –  After bad weather forced the postponement of Wednesday's game with the Tampa Bay Rowdies U23, the Lakeland Tropics will look to keep its high flying offense in gear Saturday in a rematch with The Villages SC.

Kickoff is at 6 p.m. at The Villages polo club.

The game is a rematch of a 4-3 Tropics win May 20 at Bryant Stadium, Lakeland's first-ever home match with over 6,000 fans in attendance. Victor Rojas scored twice, including the game winner in the second half, as the Tropics started what has now grown to a five-game win streak. Juan Tejada and  Ricardo Diegues also scored for the Tropics.

Diegues, the Lakeland captain, is second in the Premier Development League in goals with seven, and has at least one goal in every game during the team's five-page win streak.

Victor Rojas, who has three goals and an assist, is tied for the PDL lead in shots this year with 31, while Diegues has 23, ranked second in the 72-team league.  Lakeland goalkeeper Jonathan Valerio has had clean sheets in two of his last three starts, lowering his goals against average to 1.51. He has faced 38 shots in six games, third most in the PDL, and has a save percentage of .809.

Lakeland is tied for second in the PDL'S nine- team southeast division with a 5-1 record good for 15 points. FC Miami City also is 5-1. The two teams will meet June 24 at Lakeland's Bryant Stadium. The Tropics only loss was a season opening defeat at Miami on May 11.

The Villages are also on a winning streak, having triumphed in three straight, including an 8-3 win over the Rowdies last week, and a 4-0 home win over IMG Academy last Saturday. The Buffalo also have the reigning PDL Player of the Week in William Hopfner. The midfielder scored one goal in The Villages’ 8-3 road win against the Tampa Bay Rowdies U23 on Thursday. Hopfner then netted a hat trick, including a right-footed blast from outside the box, in the club’s 4-0 win against IMG. Hopfner was held to just in assist the first time around against Lakeland, while Carlos Araujo had a brace.  

After Saturday's game, the Tropics will be on the road June 21 against the South Florida Surf before the showdown with Miami at home. For tickets and more information on the team and remaining schedule, go to www.lakelandtropics.com.