Saturday, May 19, 2012
TUCSON, Ariz. -- FC Tucson had to wait two weeks to play at home and when the lights finally turned on, it was a hometown star who recorded the game’s lone goal. Former Canyon Del Oro High School star Donny Toia scored in the 44th minute to secure FC Tucson’s first home win in franchise history, a 1-0 victory against the Southern California Seahorses.
Southern California came out of the kick off strong, applying a lot of pressure on the FC Tucson defense early. Brendan Roslund was responsible for the game’s first electric play, clearing a dangerous ball from the Seahorses in the seventh minute. The Seahorses had another scoring chance five minutes later when Felix Horn lined up a rocket from distance. But that shot sailed over the crossbar and the score remained 0-0.
The missed shot wound up being the last time Southern California threatened until late in the game. With control established, FC Tucson began attacking with more fervor. In the 17th minute, Travis Sanchez’s header went over the bar. In the 23rd minute, Thomas Iwasaki also sent a shot over the crossbar, this one just inches shy of a goal. In the 27th minute Toia hit a shot high and wide. In the 33rd and 34th minute Dom Papa fired rockets wide of the net.
The action was fast and furious but the home crowd couldn’t release the emotion built up from every missed chance. By the 44th minute the crowd was hungry for the home side to find the back of the net. Toia fed them thanks to a shot from the top right corner of the box that curled into the far post. After the goal Toia ran toward the crowd, only fueling the celebratory fire sparked by his goal.
With the win FC Tucson is now 2-1-0 with six points in league play and a second-place tie with OC Blue Star, who has played one more game. The Seahorses fall to 0-1-1 with 1 point in league play.