The challenges associated with playing two road matches in the same week took their toll on Arizona United Soccer Club in the waning moments of a 1-0 loss to Sacramento Republic FC.
With legs getting heavier by the minute, United’s back line effectively kept the Sacramento attack off the score sheet for most of the match. Whether it was turnovers in the midfield, or last-minute challenges and clearances, it appeared the Arizona defense did enough to steal a point on the road.
But, in the 84th minute, after a collision between some United players and a Sacramento attacker, the Republic’s Cameron Iwasa had space, beat a defender, and fired a shot past a diving Carl Woszczynski for the game-winning goal.
United’s best scoring chance of the match came in the 52nd minute. After a long ball from defender Brock Granger was misplayed by the Sacramento defense, forward Chris Cortez raced in and picked up the ball. After running into the top right corner of the box, he fired a shot at the near-right post but missed wide.
The club comes back home after a week away from the Copper State, but will have to go back on the road for its next match against the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. That match will be on Saturday, April 9, at 12:30 PM.
