TSA FC closes out season, prematurely, with a win

TSA FC's Laura Pimienta scored the lone goal in their victory over LA Hospur on Saturday afternoon. Her finish of a pass from Mackenzie German will be the last the team logs this season.

Yes, they still have one game on the schedule. We'll get to that odd detail later.

The win is only their second of the season.

"It wasn't the best game we played," said defender and team captain Kelly Kearns. "But we made it happen."

The team had three shots in the first half, but also missed out on taking more chances despite having a slight edge in possession over the visitors.

Pimienta's goal came in the 58th minute when German crossed it to her as she waited at the far post. It had been a while since she had scored, and it was only the second tally for the whole team in five matches.

"Finally, I had a goal. I haven't had one all season," she said after the match. "Obviously, we've been having trouble with it."

Hotspur started having a bit more control of the match as the second half wore on. Their best opportunity came when they sent a looping ball into the box in the 70th minute with their players clearly outnumbering the TSA side. A smart header by Kelly Kearns broke up the play.

TSA had a chance to extend their lead in the 87th minute when a long range shot caught the keeper off of her line. The shot banged off of the post, and left the ball rolling away from the off balance keeper. Seventeen-year-old speedster Alison Raniere dashed down field to take a shot that found the back of the net.

Much to the consternation of the TSA bench, Raniere was perplexingly ruled offside despite seeming to start her run well onside of the Hotspur defense.

It wasn't a two-goal win, but it was a win. For coach Amy Garelick, it was a valuable victory over a California squad. It also capped off a week where things seemed to click a bit better for the team.

"It's huge. With the exception of Mackenzie German, they were all Tucson kids," she said with a bit of local pride. "That's exciting for female soccer in our community."

It is WPSL...

A draw against their in state rivals, Phoenix del Sol, on Tuesday, a win against Hotspur on Saturday. It would seem only natural to want to cap that off with a win on Sunday against Legends FC, a team they had beaten at the beginning of the season.

It was not to be. Legends FC announced, via email, that they would not be traveling to either of their Arizona matches scheduled for this weekend.

"It's disappointing. We played them our first game of the season and won 2–0. We were looking forward to it," said Kearns. "It was a team we could beat and it would have been nice to get another game in."

According to league rules, the game is a forfeit and will be recorded as a 3–0 win for TSA.