Saturday, June 23, 2012
TUCSON, Ariz. — With the clock ticking ever so closely to the final whistle, Donny Toia found himself surrounded by three defenders with nowhere to go.
“I saw the guys around me and I kind of panicked, to be honest with you,” Toia said. “I didn’t think I was going to get [the ball]. But I just kept my head down. I kept fighting through it.”
Toia fought through the three defenders, found the ball on the other side of them, and sent a beautiful shot hard along the ground and inside the far post for the game-winning goal in FC Tucson’s thrilling 2-1 win over Orange County Blue Star on Saturday night at the Kino Sports Complex.
“It felt great because it’s been a while since I’ve scored or just helped the team out offensively,” Toia said. “I just keep working hard and sooner or later it’ll come through.”
FC Tucson looked headed for its first home loss of the season after OC Blue Star held a 1-0 lead heading into the 86th minute. But a Carlos Montes corner kick found the head of Phillipe Garre near the far post and he banged it home to tie the game and ensure at least a point.
“I felt a little pain in my nose,” Garre joked. “I knew if I got behind the ball and deflect it toward the goal, then good things happen.”
That set up the dramatic scene for Toia in stoppage time, who found the back of the net after missing his two previous shots in the game. Toia’s goal was FC Tucson’s third game-winner this season that occured in the 80th minute or later.
The Blue Star scored the first goal of the game in the 37th minute. Christopher Santana collected the ball at midfield thanks to a long pass from his back line. Santana then weaved his way through four FC Tucson defenders before finding himself one-on-one with goalkeeper Brendan Roslund. Santana slotted the ball to the low, left corner of the net to draw first blood.
Orange County attacked well for the entire first half, keeping the FC Tucson defense on its heels. In the 31st minute, Danny Delgado placed his corner perfectly into the left side of the box from the right corner, but his teammate Everett Pitts sailed his header over the net.
Three minutes later, Blue Star’s Andrew Riemer headed a pass from the right side of the box to teammate Enrique Cardenas, whose header, aimed for the upper corner of the far post, went high and wide.
The win puts FC Tucson in sole possession of second place in the Southwest Division with 24 points in 11 games. Ventura County sits in first place, with 26 points in 11 games. The Ogden Outlaws are behind FC Tucson in third place with 20 points in 12 games.
Saturday night's results ensure that FC Tucson’s June 30 game against Ventura County will be a battle between the top two teams in the Southwest Division in the desert.
“It’s a huge game,” Garre said. “It’s our home field and in front of our home fans. I think we’ll be focused and we’ll be ready.”