Parreiras comes up with second straight game winner as Tropics tip IMG, 1-0

LAKELAND – No Victor Rojas? No problem for the Lakeland Tropics, who have another Victor who's kept the team's playoff hopes alive.

For the second straight game Victor Parreriras got the game winner – Sunday night it came on a penalty kick in the 40th minute –  in a 1-0 win over IMG Academy.

The victory was the third in a row for the first-year team, and improved their mark to 9-2-1 (28 points). The SIMA Aguilas lead the nine-team Premier Development League southeast division at 10-1-1 (31 points), while FC Miami City is at 9-1-1 (28 points). Only the top two teams in the division qualify for the post-season.

Lakeland can assure itself of one of those two spots by winning Tuesday at SIMA, whose only loss of the season came against the Tropics at Bryant Stadium on July 1, and again on Thursday when they are on the road for a make up game against the Tampa Bay Rowdies U23 side.

Parreiras leads Lakeland with five assists this year, but he had not scored until last Wednesday, when he got the game winner in a 2-1 win at Palm Beach. Rojas, the team's second leading goal getter with six (behind Ricardo Diegues' 10), left last week to play professionally in Portugal.

Jorge Navarette earned the clean sheet in his second straight start in place of Jonathan Valerio, who served the second of a two-game suspension Sunday night. He faced 13 shots and made seven saves. Valerio has two shutouts this season.