Sponsored by

Soccer

FC Tucson earns victory in Provo

First leg of Utah tour ends in 1-0 win over BYU Cougars

Thanks to

FC Tucson extended their streak of 1-0 wins with a defeat of the BYU Cougars in Provo, Utah. Kevin King scored his second goal of the season, and goalkeeper Michael D'Arrigo earned his second shut-out.

Los Tucsonenses dominated the first half, managing nine shots. BYU recorded only two shots in the first half.

Tucson's goal came in the 32nd minute when Donny Toia crossed the ball to an onrushing Kevin King.

BYU found its footing in the second half, shutting down Tucson's offensive production. In contrast to the dominance of the first half, FC Tucson was out shot 8-0 in the second half as BYU did something that few teams have been able to do so far: beat the center back duo of Kareem Smith and Conor Spence.

D'Arrigo withstood the barrage and the team won its fifth game in the Premier Development League. The win puts them at 15 points on the Southwest Conference table. They are currently in first place, one point clear of the Orange County Blue Star.

The team's next game is in Ogden, Utah, against the Ogden Outlaws. The team returns to Kino Sports Complex on June 23 to play Orange County.

Schantz speaks

After the game, FC Tucson coach Rick Schantz praised the BYU squad.

"They are hard working kids," he said. "They never stopped running."

Like what you're reading? Support high-quality local journalism and help underwrite independent news without the spin.

Despite the strong start, the "never stopped running" was the challenge for FC Tucson. FC Tucson was facing a team that regularly trains and plays at the local altitude of 4,553 feet.

Still, they earned a shut-out. Schantz credited the performance of goalkeeper Michael D'Arrigo, who recorded four saves in the second half.

"D'Arrigo was fantastic," he said.

Out for Ogden

Despite D'Arrigo's performance, he likely will not be starting in Thursday's game in Ogden. Netminder duties will fall to Brendan Roslund.

Defender Michael Kraus was ejected after receiving a second yellow card late in the match. That takes him out for the game against Ogden. Matt Linenburger, who came in as a late game substitute, likely will be starting in Kraus' place.

- 30 -
have your say   

Comments

There are no comments on this report. Sorry, comments are closed.

Sorry, we missed your input...

You must be logged in or register to comment

Click image to enlarge

Joshua Pearson/TucsonSentinel.com

FC Tucson's Kevin King during the May 23 friendly match against the Phoenix Monsoon. King scored his second goal of the season Tuesday against the BYU Cougars.

FC Tucson 1, BYU Cougars 0

BYU South Field in Provo, Utah

  • Scoring summary
  • FCT - Kevin King (32')
  • Misconduct summary
  • BYU - Jordan Leyton (caution, 27')
  • BYU - Will Burton (caution, 48')
  • FCT - Michael Kraus (caution, 57')
  • BYU - Garrett Lossee (caution, 71')
  • FCT - Kraus (second caution, ejection, 82')
  • FC Tucson: Michael D'Arrigo - Travis Campbell, Michael Kraus, Kareem Smith, Conor Spence - Max Alvarez (Matt Linenburger, 89'), Colin Anderson, Kevin King, Reid Schmitt (James Cohn, 55') - Dominic Papa (Phillipe Garre, 77'), Donny Toia
  • BYU Cougars: Brian Hale - William Burton, Douglas Clark, Sterling Hancock, Jonathan Junca, Jordan Layton - Dalin Cutler, Jace Green (Michael Moreno, 77'), Scott Heaton (Bryson Pope, 45') - David Gates (Antonio Niccoli, 89'), Garrett Losee (Jantzten Romney, 13')

FC Tucson schedule

Unless otherwise noted, all times are 7 p.m., Tucson time. (Bold indicates home games at Kino Sports Complex, 3600 S. Country Club Rd.)

Tickets can be purchased from FC Tucson's website, Ticketforce, or by calling (877) 840-0457.

  • May 5 - Fresno Fuego 2 - FC Tucson 1
  • May 12 - Pali Blues 0 - FC Tucson 1
  • May 19 - Southern California Seahorses 0 - FC Tucson 1
  • May 23 - Phoenix Monsoon 2 - FC Tucson 4 (friendly)
  • May 26 - Pali Blues 0 - FC Tucson 2
  • June 2 - Fresno Fuego 0 - FC Tucson 1
  • June 5 - BYU Cougars 0 - FC Tucson 1
  • Thursday - at Ogden Outlaws, 5 p.m.
  • June 14 - Los Angeles Misioneros
  • June 16 - at Ventura County Fusion
  • June 23 - Orange County Blue Star
  • June 30 - Ventura County Fusion
  • July 6 - BYU Cougars
  • July 8 - Ogden Outlaws
  • July 11 - Southern California Seahorses
  • July 14 - at Orange County Blue Star, 5 p.m

Premier Development League

Western Conference, Southwest Division Standings

PtsGPGFGAGD
FC Tucson156624
Orange County Blue Star1481495
Ventura County Fusion13616313
Fresno Fuego1291215-3
Odgen Outlaws8668-2
LA Misioneros FC78712-5
BYU Cougars5544(0)
Southern California Seahorses57611-5
Pali Blues37410-6
  • A
  • A
  • A
  •   Share:
  • more»
Show previews