After a two-day competition, both sides were tied at three points apiece. Following extra time, the game went to penalty shoot-out. In the end, the Tampa Bay Rowdies were victorious and became the 2012 NASL champions.[1][2]
Background
The defending Soccer Bowl champion Minnesota Stars finished sixth in league standings with 35 points and a record of 8-11-9. They qualified for the NASL playoffs as the low seed of six teams. The Stars defeated the third seeded Puerto Rico Islanders in a single-match quarterfinal game, 2–1. In the two-legged semifinals Minnesota defeated the top-seeded San Antonio Scorpions, 2–1, on aggregate. The victory allowed them to advance to their second straight Soccer Bowl.
The Tampa Bay Rowdies finished in second position on the league table with a record of 12-9-7 for 47 points, which was two points behind San Antonio's table-topping total of 49. As the number-two seed in the playoffs the Rowdies earned a quarterfinal bye. Tampa Bay faced the fourth seeded Carolina RailHawks in the semifinals, winning 5–4 on aggregate, which earned them the right to play in Soccer Bowl 2012.
Game summary
Minnesota won the first leg, 2–0, on goals by Amani Walker in the 67th minute and Martin Nunez in injury time. Without an away-goals rule, at a minimum Tampa Bay needed to win the return leg by any two-goal margin to keep hope alive. In the second leg Carl Cort scored on a rebound for the Rowdies in the 25th minute and Keith Savage scored in the 51st minute to level the series. The Stars quickly regained their advantage on a score by Lucas Rodríguez in the 52nd minute. Dan Antoniuk's dramatic 86th minute goal leveled the aggregate at four apiece, and a few minutes later teammate Shane Hill was given a straight red card during injury time. With neither team able to score in extra time, the match moved to penalty kicks. Luke Mulholland, Raphael Cox, and Fafà Picault all converted from the spot for Tampa Bay, while Rowdies goalie Jeff Attinella saved three of Minnesota's five attempts to secure the Soccer Bowl title for Tampa Bay.
