ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Stony Brook Athletics Hall of Famer Leo Fernandes returned to game action in style.

Fernandes scored the game-winner in the 87th minute as the Tampa Bay Rowdies resumed soccer competition following a pandemic-caused hiatus with a 2-1 win over Atlanta United 2 on Saturday.

The Rowdies, a USL Championship member, last had played a match on March 7.

The resumption of play came without fans at 7,500-seat Al Lang Stadium in Florida.

"To be honest, it felt a little weird," Fernandes said. "It was the first time we were in the locker room since early March. But once the game finally started, things were feeling back to normal and it felt great to finally play a competitive game again.

"The feeling of scoring a game-winner is one of the greatest feelings in sports. No matter what the goal looks like, just the fact that you won the game for your team is one of the best feelings you can have while playing soccer."

As for playing in an empty stadium, Fernandes added: "Playing without any fans is definitely something I'm not used to. Fans are so important in sports. They can give you energy when you feel like you have none left. So it was tough playing without a crowd. But if I had to choose playing with no fans or not playing at all, I would still prefer to play without any fans."
 
The 6-foot-1, 175-pound Fernandes made his mark on the Stony Brook men's soccer program from the moment he stepped foot on campus in 2009.

As a freshman, he tied Stony Brook's Division I record for goals by a rookie. By his junior season, Fernandes was the program's all-time Division I leader in points.

The three-time America East Midfielder of the Year was named to the NSCAA All-Northeast Region first team after his junior season. His favorite memory was winning the America East title that year.

"We had such a great team that year — and, personally, I had a great year," Fernandes said.

Fernandes' illustrious soccer career continued in the professional ranks after he was selected in the fourth round (62nd overall) in the 2013 Major League Soccer Supplemental Draft.

Fernandes played with MLS' Philadelphia Union for four seasons.

He also played with the New York Cosmos, where he received the North American Soccer League Young Player of the Year Award.
 
Fernandes, now 28, joined the Rowdies in 2017.

Meanwhile, Fernandes now has sibling company in the professional ranks. Younger brother Gustavo, a recent Stony Brook grad, has joined Forward Madison, a USL League One club based in Wisconsin.

Gustavo's twin brother Gabriel remains with the Seawolves for a final season as a redshirt senior.

"It's means so much to me," Leo said about Gustavo now joining him as a pro. "I'm so proud of him and all of the hard work and dedication he's put in to be a pro. I can't wait to watch him get his first minutes this season. I know he's ready for it. I'm excited to see how well he does in his pro career."