Written By: Andrew Mosier
Photography: Aiden Rocha

 

 

DESERT CONFERENCE HEAVYWEIGHTS SPLIT POINTS IN BACK-AND-FORTH AFFAIR

 

The new-look FC Tucson passed its first big test of the 2024 season Saturday, playing the fifth-ranked SC del Sol to a last-minute 2-2 draw at Kino North Stadium in Tucson. 
 

The scoresheet was indicative of the back-and-forth affair—and the pluck of the young Tucson program serving as a pathway for the club’s youth players. Twice the hosts clawed its way back to level the score against last season’s West Region champions. Ashly Martinez scored goals in each half for Tucson to keep them within reach of the top spot in the Desert Conference. 

 

FC Tucson hosts SC del Sol in West Region Match of the Week, 2024 Season (Aiden Rocha)

“It was just an exciting game. The crowd was amazing. We are such a young team. You could see the nerves early on. For some of them it was the first time playing against an experienced team of mostly college players. The way we responded was just fantastic,” Roberto Garcia, FC Tucson first-year head coach, said. 

Martinez, named team offensive MVP in 2022, is only a handful of what Garcia calls “senior” players returning to the club this season. In seasons past the club was known as a destination for late-career collegiate players and post-collegiate players looking to make the jump to the professional game. Garcia, who spent the last five years coaching the FC Tucson Youth girls, assumed the mantle of the WPSL side with a new vision for the club: to provide the talented pool of youth players that grew up wearing the FC Tucson badge the next step in their career. 

“We want our players to take pride in wearing the FC Tucson jersey. We tell them there is a heritage in the badge, a history behind it. Every time they step on the field, they represent the club and its history,” Garcia said. 

For many of the FC Tucson players, it was their first time playing in a rivalry match, with so much at stake, in front of a crowd the size FC Tucson draws. The club opened the season with a statement-making 4-0 win on the road. Vivien Villarreal had a brace in the win, along with goals from Hannah Ramos (Academy) and Leigha Dobbins (Arizona Western College). 

 

FC Tucson hosts SC del Sol in West Region Match of the Week, 2024 Season (Aiden Rocha)

The following week FC Tucson traveled for a midweek clash versus expansion side, RSL Southern Arizona, winning 5-0. Mackenzie Moring (University of Arizona) tallied the first three goals in the match, followed by Martinez for her first in 2023, along with a goal from Yajaira Cervantes (Academy) to give FC Tucson a share of the conference lead entering Saturday’s match versus SC del Sol. 

SC del Sol was 3-0-0 with road wins at El Paso Surf (3-1), Royals AZ (3-1), and a 7-0 win in the home opener over El Paso the day before the club traveled the hundred miles south. 

SC del Sol came out swinging early, testing Tucson goalkeeper Darya Mosallaei twice in the opening minutes of the match before Sami Fisher put the visitors on the board in the seventh minute.

Fisher (University of Colorado) started the play that resulted in her goal seventy yards downfield, winning a tackle near the touchline. Fisher laid the ball off and took off down the left touchline. Her long run was rewarded with a perfectly weighted pass from Tatum Thomason (University of Washington) outside of the penalty area. Fisher cut inside on her defender, creating space for her to go to goal, slotting the ball past Tucson goalkeeper, Mosallaei (Ferris State University) to the far post for her third goal this season. 

Martinez, an NJCAA All-American her sophomore year at Arizona Western College finishing second in the nation in scoring with 25 goals, drew the hosts level in the 10’ minute when placed a shot from nearly 30 yards out with a looping shot to the upper corner. 

 

FC Tucson hosts SC del Sol in West Region Match of the Week, 2024 Season (Aiden Rocha)

Fisher was instrumental in the buildup to the visitor’s second goal, intercepting a pass at midfield and making another long run, diagonally this time, with the ball at her feet, finding Kristen Puels at the top of the penalty area. Puels (Gonzaga University) left-footed shot snuck past the diving Mosallaei in the 31’ minute for her second goal this season. 

FC Tucson spent the second half chasing the game. Tactical shifts in the lineup at halftime shored up the backline, which did not allow a shot on goal in the second half. Tucson tested SC del Sol goalkeeper, Jenni Groves (Northern Arizona University) several times before Martinez, who missed much of the second half after picking up a minor injury, came back on to level the game at 2-2 in the last seconds of added time, combining with Vivien Villarreal at the top of the penalty area. The goal was Martinez’s third on the season. 

The draw moves FC Tucson to 2-0-1 (7 pts.), three points back of SC del Sol (3-1-0) at the top of the table. 

“We’re headed in the right place. We’ve got good momentum, Garcia said. “We just need to continue to grow, keep our DNA, our identity when we play. There are a lot of good teams in this conference. Every game is going to be tough for us.” 

Tucson hosts back-to-back Week 5 games versus RSL Southern Arizona (0-0-3) Friday, June 7, followed by Arizona Arsenal Soccer Club (2-0-0) Saturday. The unbeaten Arsenal is one point behind Tucson in the Desert Conference standings. Both games are at Kino North Stadium in Tucson. Kickoff for both matches is scheduled for 7:00 PM. Watch the games here.