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Posted Jun 19, 2012, 10:40 am

Ted Prezelski TucsonSentinel.com

FC Tucson had another chippy tie against a Southern California team on Monday night in Los Angeles. This time it was a soccer rematch against the Los Angeles Misioneros that ended in a 1-1 draw.

Tucson went up early when Aaron Long, a player from last year's team returning to the squad, scored off of a penalty kick in the 8th minute. It was one of 10 fouls to be called on the two teams in the half. Despite the fireworks, it would prove to be the only goal of the half.

Los Angeles missed a chance early in the second half when Michael D'Arrigo was caught out of goal. They had to wait for their own penalty kick chance. Misioneros forward Jaime Chavez drew a foul on the edge of the box and Cesar Samaniego buried the ensuing free kick.

Tucson nearly had the game in stoppage time. Long had a shot from 40 yards out that hit the crossbar, and a second attempt that looked like it found the back of the net was called offside.

The game ended level, with both teams sharing points. The tie puts Tucson in a narrow lead over the Ventura County Fusion on the division table. Tucson hopes to extend that lead with their upcoming home matches against Orange County Blue Star on Saturday and Ventura County on June 30.

Six...make that three

The match ended a quick sequence of three matches in five days, one at home and two on the road. Three draws is not a horrible result, but it isn't what Schantz was looking for.

"Over three games, we were hoping for six points," Schantz said. Six points being two wins by the reckoning of soccer folks.

At least one of those wins was expected to come against the Los Angeles Misioneros. Schantz admits that his team let "two points slip away" in Monday night's match.

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FC Tucson had been able to shut out higher ranked teams than the Misioneros, but the team has walked away from two matches with them without a victory.

"Offensively, they are the most creative team in the division," he said. "They send everybody forward."

The Misioneros were not shy about throwing six or seven players into each attack, particularly after they smelled a chance at victory after their penalty kick.

"They were going a hundred miles an hour," he said of the Misioneros second half performance.

This makes three draws in a row for FC Tucson. It could be called a slump, but given that it came after a run of shut outs, probably a slump that most teams wouldn't mind having. Still, it leaves some work to do before Saturday's match with Orange County.

"We've got to work on our shape and organization," Schantz noted. "We have to work on keeping our heads in the game."

And that table...

The hope from both FC Tucson and Ventura County that Saturday's match would settle who was in first was dashed when the two teams tied on points.

The Premier Development League, like many leagues, uses goal differential as a tie breaker. Goal differential is the number of goals a team has scored minus the number scored against your team. FC Tucson has had few goals scored against them, but had a pile of one goal games during their shut out streak. Ventura, on the other hand, had a couple of blow outs (6-0 against Fresno, 5-1 against the Sea Horses). That gives Ventura the advantage when the two teams are tied on points.

Tucson has edged Ventura on points after the tie, but if Ventura wins Friday's match against BYU, they'll be ahead again. Of course, Tucson would pull ahead the next day with a win against Orange County.

There will be a final chance to settle which team is number one on a more permanent basis when Ventura comes to town on June 30, but then again, they could get another tie.

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