Lightning Strike by Weir Sets up 3-0 Win over Union Omaha
September 12, 2022 – United Soccer League One (USL1) – FC Tucson News Release
Thanks to the fastest goal in USL League One history from Tarn Weir, FC Tucson jumped ahead early on Sunday night. But that was just the beginning as Daniel Bedoya and Donny Toia added two second-half goals and Tucson shut down Union Omaha for a 3-0 win at Kino North Stadium.
No doubt eager to get on the scoreboard after being cooped up in the clubhouse for a match that started 2 hours and 40 minutes late because of a lightning delay, Tucson struck about as quickly as is humanly possible.
Forward Tarn Weir picked up a pass from Louis Perez as he was charging down the left side and slotted the ball across the goalmouth and under goalkeeper Rashid Nuhu seven seconds into the match.
The goal is also a franchise record. The previous FC Tucson mark was a goal scored by Tate Schmitt 31 seconds into a PDL game in 2016.
Union Omaha forced FC Tucson goalkeeper Carlos Merancio to make one save in the first 35 minutes before the game was halted by lightning.
Tucson kept up the same spirit when they returned from both the lightning break and the halftime break.
The second goal came in the 62nd minute on a Bedoya strike with his left foot from just inside the 18-yard box. Toia’s hustle cause an uncharacteristic error from Nuhu, who shanked the clearance out of bounds. Tucson immediately restarted on the throw-in, and Toia found Bedoya at the top of the box.
The final goal came when Toia tapped in Kaelon Fox’s cross on the ground in the 76th minute.
It is Tucson’s second win in 10 meetings with the defending USL League One champions, but could not have come at a better time. Improving to 6-12-5 (23 points), Tucson moved to 10th and kept its playoff hopes alive with seven matches remaining.
Union Omaha is 10-4-10 (40 points) and remained a point behind league-leading Richmond Kickers.
QUOTES
“Our backs are to the wall. Everyone knows where we sit in the table. We have a couple games in hand and we still have an opportunity. For us, the only people that believe are the people in that locker room. For us to come out with that kind of furious intent – Louis (Perez) stepping through and us drawing that up and having it come through. And Tarn, the way Tarn ran, it was as if his life depended on it.” – FC Tucson Head Coach Jon Pearlman
“For me, how proud I am, because when you’re seven points back from last place two and a half weeks ago, teams can just walk away and start turning on each other. That never happened. We kept competing. And we kept working.” – Pearlman
“Every game so far this season, I’ve been making that same run off the kickoff, and I think that might have been one of the first times I actually got it. So I was excited. I got it, looked up and saw the goalie wasn’t coming out and thought, why not?” – Weir
Tucson will go on the road for a Friday, Sept. 16, match against South Georgia Tormenta FC at Erk Russell Athletic Park. Kickoff in Statesboro, Georgia, is set for 4:30 p.m. The club will return home on Tuesday, Sept. 20, for a makeup match against North Carolina FC.
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