Tucson, AZ- After a two year run in the Liga MX with Atletico De San Luis, Luz Duarte returns home to prove the level of excellence that FC Tucson has on its roster. 16th ranked FC Tucson took on in-city rival RSL Southern Arizona for the 2nd time this season on Friday night.
Although she did not come in until the 20th minute of the match, Luz Duarte made her presence felt immediately. Duarte being on the field forced the RSL Southern Arizona defense to put more attention on the experienced forward, opening up opportunities for the rest of the offense. It wasn’t until just before the halftime break when Luz Duarte would tally her first goal of the season.
With a quick pass from Jordyn Ives, Luz Duarte delivered a one-touch screamer into the far corner of the net to give FC Tucson the 1-0 lead. The FC Tucson Women would go into the half maintaining this lead.
Duarte would also add an assist to her stat line later in the game by delivering an incredible pass from a free kick 25 yards out to Jamie Black. Black would leap into the air and direct an accurate header into the net, tallying her first goal of the season on her fifth shot on goal of the night.
As the final minutes ticked nearer, Isabella Navarez reacted quickly to a ball that rebounded off of the RSL Southern Arizona goalkeeper. This would put FC Tucson at a 3-0 advantage that would last the remainder of the game.
The FC Tucson defense would only allow one shot on goal throughout the course of the match. This came off a RSL corner kick that sailed to the top of the goal. FC Tucson Goalkeeper Izabella Holly would make a remarkable deflection to force the ball up and over the net. This marks FC Tucson’s 3rd clean sheet of the season.
The FC Tucson Women are back in action against Arizona Arsenal for the third match of the 2024 Golden Saguaro on Saturday June 8th at 7:00 pm! Tickets can be purchased on the FC Tucson website or at the link below!