The Rowdies entered their game against Carolina on Wednesday night knowing they would need just a tie to secure a first-round bye and an appearance in the NASL Semifinals. Of course, they knew it would be nice to get a win in front of the home crowd at Al Lang Stadium, but they also understood a loss would put heavy pressure on them in their regular season finale on Saturday at Carolina.

  • Rowdies forward Mike Ambersley maneuvers past a Carolina defender in the Rowdies' 1-1 draw on Wednesday. With the tie, the Rowdies secured a spot in the NASL Semifinals.

This article appears in Sep 20-26, 2012.