Posted Jun 6, 2012, 8:40 am
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."
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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.



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