Fort Lauderdale CF paid a visit to the desert for a matchup at dusk against FC Tucson at Kino North Stadium in Arizona, ultimately falling 3-0. The match kicked off at 10 p.m. ET and aired live on ESPN+.
A fast-paced start to the match saw an early opening goal for the home team when a corner kick attempt by FC Tucson’s Charlie Dennis connected with teammate Luca Mastrantonio’s timely header at the 19-minute mark, giving them a 1-0 lead.
Looking for the equalizer, George Acosta attempted a corner kick of his own mere minutes later that in turn richotetted near the feet of Ignacio Poplawski, who hit the ball into traffic deep in the box. As the ball found Acosta once more on the left flank, the midfielder flung it towards towering teammate Aimé Mabika for a header, but a save at full extension from the goalkeeper kept the shot from penetrating the net.
Towards the end of the first half, Acosta again looked to score by delivering a sharp strike from distance that arrived on target, once more requiring a save at full stretch from the goalkeeper to prevent the ball from finding the back of the net.
In the 74th minute, however, FC Tucson’s Deri Corfe wound up a curling shot around a defender from a pass by Mohamed Kone, and slid the ball just off the right goal post and into the net for the second goal of the night for the home team.
As the closing minutes of stoppage time concluded, FC Tucson’s Manuel Ferriol pushed down the field and found teammate Corfe, who went on to notch his second goal of the evening, finalizing the score at 3-0.
Next up for Fort Lauderdale CF is a trip back home to the Sunshine State where they’ll look to bounce back playing against South Georgia Tormenta FC at DRV PNK Stadium on Sunday, Sept. 19 at 7:30 p.m. ET.
