Posted May 13, 2012, 8:01 am
Despite playing nearly half of the game a man down and being short on substitutes, Los Tucsonenses beat the Pali Blues 1-0 Saturday on what FC Tucson coach Rick Schantz called "an unbelieveable cherry pick."
In minute 83, Travis Sanchez' bicycle kick zipped past the Blues keeper for the game's only goal.
But the match didn't start great for FC Tucson. The team only brought fourteen players to Pacific Palisades, leaving them with only a bench of three possible substitutes, the minimum required under league rules.
"At the last minute, guys couldn't get out of work," said Schantz after the game.
Not the best start for the team. Despite keeping the score knotted at zero when the half-time whistle blew, they had another problem shortly after the restart.
Midfielder Kevin King was shown a yellow card in minute 47, his second and it earned him a dismissal from the game.
Schantz chose not to tinker with the tactics too much after going down to ten men.
"I just had to tell the guys to stay the same...they figured it out," he said.
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The team still kept at it even despite the disadvantage. Late in the game, in minute 83, Travis Sanchez took a bicycle kick that zipped past the Blues keeper. It proved to be the game-winner.
“It’s a great feeling,” Sanchez said. “It’s what forwards look for.”
Schantz was also jubilant after the match.
"I can't wait to get out on to our own field."
FC Tucson's first home match comes against the Southern California Sea Horses on Saturday, followed by a match against the Phoenix Monsoon on May 23.
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