Up 1-0 late in the second half with a chance to win its third match in the last four tries, FC Tucson gave up two goals in the span of 10 minutes and fell 2-1 to Fort Lauderdale FC on Saturday night at Kino North Stadium.

Amid plenty of scoring chances — the club had 16 shots on net total — FC Tucson (4-6-2) couldn’t capitalize on the offensive side and Fort Lauderdale FC took advantage scoring the equalizer in the 87th minute then the eventual game winner in stoppage time.

“We should have done more to ice the game,” FC Tucson coach John Galas lamented.

The Men in Black struck first in the 55th minute on a penalty kick by Ramos Godoy to go up 1-0, giving the team a good chance at moving into one of the four playoff spots.

Later, FC Tucson’s Roberto Alarcon had what should have been the icing on the cake in the 87th minute with a clean look just outside the right hash of the penalty box, but his shot placement was off and resulted in a routine save by goalkeeper Dylan Castanheira.

“We had clear chances on the break all night,” Galas said. “And we didn’t convert, had some poor decisions, so it comes back to bite you.”

Unlike Wednesday’s match against Forward Madison FC where the club was able to absorb the opposition’s frenzied offensive attacks, FC Tucson couldn't hold firm Saturday as it broke down late in the game.

About 30 seconds after Alarcon’s missed chance, Fort Lauderdale moved the ball swiftly to the other side of the field. Jerome Kiesewetter fielded a long pass that split the FC Tucson defense and he booted it past FC Tucson goalkeeper Amal Knight to tie the game.

The match was still knotted up heading into the added stoppage time of five minutes. In the 94th minute, Fort Lauderdale’s Eduardo Sosa corralled a loose ball right outside the penalty box after the club’s corner kick was headed away. Sosa gathered himself, sidestepped to the right and then fired a shot high and away that hit the top shelf of the net for the game-winner.

Though FC Tucson suffered a loss, Galas pointed out that the club played particularly well in his eyes for most of the night.

“We were creating chances, we got back in the game through possession, we broke well on the counter. All those things were positive,” Galas said “But then we let them back in the game.”

What will go overlooked in the loss was the brilliant save from Knight on a penalty kick in the 57th minute. Knight’s ‘spidey sense’ reflexes perfectly read where the shot was going and he dove down to his left to block the shot which was headed for the back of the net.

“It kept us ahead which was huge for us, huge for him,” Galas said. “Some of it is instincts, some of it is guesswork.”

The loss snapped FC Tucson’s streak of three games with at least one point earned and resulted in the club dropping back down into sixth place in the USL League One standings with four games left in the regular season.

The Men in Black will get some much needed rest this week before traveling to take on Forward Madison FC next Saturday.

Become a #ThisIsTucson member! Your contribution helps our team bring you stories that keep you connected to the community. Become a member today.