FC Tucson holds off late BYU rally to clinch PDL Mountain division
FC Tucson scored two goals in the first half, and held on to run its unbeaten streak to eight-straight matches with a 2–1 victory over BYU on Tuesday night at South Field in Provo.
Afonso Pinheiro opened the scoring for FC Tucson (8–2–2), converting a penalty kick in the 18th minute to give the visitors the early advantage. Moshe Perez doubled the lead 20 minutes later, slotting home what proved to be the game-winner as Tucson took a 2–0 halftime lead on just three shots on target.
The Cougars didn’t quit. Chris Tobler pulled one back for BYU 15 minutes into the second half, sidestepping the goalkeeper and pinning a shot past a sliding defender in the 55th minute.
“The guys played fantastic,” BYU coach Brandon Gilliam said. “There wasn’t a single minute where they weren’t playing their guts out and playing well. It was just two moments that we took off.
“The effort was there and the style of play was there. We just came up short.”
The Cougars (4–5–4, 12 points) will host Tucson in the regular-season finale Wednesday night at 7 p.m. MT. The visitors from Arizona clinched their fourth-straight division title in PDL play Tuesday night.
“They put in the effort tonight; it just didn’t come up for us,” Gilliam said. “We’ll recognize the players who are playing their last game on South Field. We’ll try to make it a special night for them, and hopefully add a win to that.”
Re-watch Tuesday night’s match via the live stream below.
