Tucson, Arizona- FC Tucson held off Ventura County this past weekend in the USL2 Western Conference Semifinals with a physical 1-0 victory. This was the 3rd meeting between the two teams this season, previously ending in a 0-0 draw and a 2-1 FC Tucson victory during the regular season.
With Ventura County handling Albion Colorado, and FC Tucson soundly defeating Flatirons FC in the quarterfinal round, both teams had plenty of momentum going into this 3rd and final meeting.
The physicality of the match was apparent immediately and persisted throughout the entirety of the match. With both teams deadlocked at 0-0, Lars Walzyck for FC Tucson broke the tie in the 36th minute with a left footed blast in the upper corner.
Although Ventura County would control possession most of the 2nd half, they could not penetrate a stifling FC Tucson defense. With 5 shots on goal, Ventura was unable to convert on any of their attempts to score.
This becomes Nils Roth’s first clean sheet of the season after taking over starting goalkeeper duties.
When asked about what this does for the team, Coach Sebastian Pineda had this to say: “It’s obvious they believe in themselves. They know they can go toe to toe with the best in the country and walk away with a win. That’s the new mentality going forward.”
FC Tucson takes on Project 510 Friday afternoon at 3:30 pm Arizona time in Peoria, Illinois. Make sure to follow FC Tucson on all social media platforms for all upcoming FC Tucson.matches and events.