FC Tucson scored eight minutes into Wednesday’s match against New England Revolution II and never looked back, notching a 1-0 victory for its first home win of the 2020 season and first victory of any kind in nearly a month. 

“This was a great response from Saturday,” FC Tucson coach John Galas said with a sigh of relief, noting last weekend’s 2-0 loss. “I’m super proud of the boys.”

After being held scoreless for just the second time all year, FC Tucson came out of the gates Wednesday with an aggressive approach and it worked.

In the eighth minute, ran a set play off a corner kick to perfection. Charlie Dennis’ kick curved perfectly toward the far end of the net and Elivelton Oliveira came across to head the ball into the back of the net for a 1-0 lead.

“We needed someone to do step up and do something on that set piece, it was a crucial spot,” Galas remembered thinking. “Anytime you can score first or score early… you got a chance to win.”

While the goal certainly stands out as the highlight of the night, the performance from FC Tucson goalkeeper Amal Knight was equally impressive. Knight got the nod in net over regular starter Carlos Merancio and held his own.

Knight made a flurry of saves, particularly late in the match when New England was on attack and earned high praise from his coach. Knight pitched the first clean sheet of FC Tucson’s season. The win was FC Tucson's first since Aug. 18, when it beat Orlando City 4-1. 

“The kid has been working his (butt) off and he deserves a shot,” Galas said. “We needed to find a spark and Amal came in and performed really well and made crucial saves.”

FC Tucson (3-5-1) had one of its most efficient nights of the season on offense Wednesday, racking up 17 shots on goal; six were recorded as scoring chances in the box score. Galas said the game "could have been 4-0 or 5-0” if the execution was a little better.

A short turnaround looms. The Men in Black and will hit the road to face North Texas SC for a rematch of last week’s 2-0 defeat. The game is set for Saturday. 

“We’ve got some heavy legs but we also have a lot of confidence because we know we can play with them,” Galas said.

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Alec has been with the Star since October 2019. He writes stories and produces digital content primarily about the Arizona Wildcats. Alec graduated from the University of Arizona in May 2020.