In a night of firsts, the Sarasota Paradise earned its first draw, a 2-2 tie against Fort Wayne FC on March 14. The Paradise, now 0-1-1 on the young season, overcame a 2-0 deficit in the first half in a gutsy performance that saw midfielder Sander Roed all over the pitch.

Fort Wayne started off the first half strong, launching three shots on goal in the first 15 minutes, consistently creating scoring chances for its offense. The match remained knotted at 0-0 until the 30th minute when Paradise goalkeeper Alex Sutton slipped covering a seemingly routine long ball and Fort Wayne forward Lilian Ricol tapped it in for the first goal of the night. Fort Wayne’s next goal came just five minutes later, when Fort Wayne’s Ryan Becher found the net on a cross pass courtesy of Ricol.

Fort Wayne's 2-0 lead, however, didn’t last long. In the waning seconds of the first half, the Paradise’s Roed lined up for a free kick—and promptly blasted a curving shot through the Fort Wayne defense and into the back of the net for the Paradise’s first professional goal in club history. “I started slow in the first half, like the rest of the team, but we were able to get the free kick ahead of half time and I saw the chance to score,” says Roed. “It’s a great feeling to be the first guy to score for the Sarasota Paradise, so there were a lot of emotions running through my head, but at the same time, we were still down 2-1. We wanted to win the game and show the fans supporting us on Saturday night that we are here to fight until the end.”

With renewed vigor and a series of tactical changes—among them sliding Roed from right wing to attacking midfielder—the Paradise mounted a tenacious offensive attack in the second half. Although the Paradise dominated offensive possession in the half, creating numerous scoring chances, only one found the back of the net. In the 62nd minute, Roed sent a long pass from the midfield line to forward Jonathan Bolanos, who put a deft move on his defender and fired a shot into the back left corner of the net to tie the match at 2-2. “Once that ball comes to me, I always try to at least get a shot on target, get away from my defender and create something,” says Bolanos.

Sarasota Paradise vs Portland Hearts of Pine, March 28, 7:30pm, Premier Sports Campus at Lakewood Ranch, 5895 Post Blvd, Lakewood Ranch.