Orange County SC fell 2-1 in heartbreaking fashion after conceding an 87th minute winner while being a man up on Saturday, June 8 at the Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex in Phoenix, AZ. The County Boys saw the second goal of the season from forward Ethan Zubak in the defeat.
The home team struck first in the sixth minute as midfielder Moahmed Traore found forward Gabi Torres on the left side of the box. Torres then found forward Dariusz Formella in the center of the box, who fired a right-footed-shot into the center of the net, putting Phoenix ahead early 1-0.
OCSC’s 17-year-old goalkeeper Duran Ferree recorded his first save of the night in the 20th minute as midfielder Erickson Gallardo found Formella on the right side of the box. Formella sent one on targett, but Ferree made a leaping save to keep Phoenix from adding to their lead.
Ferree was tested again in the 29th minute as Traore again pushed forward, finding Formella again in the center of the box. Formella fired one towards the center of the goal and Ferree made a terrific save to keep Phoenix at bay.
The teams went into the break with Phoenix ahead 1-0 with the lone goal from Formella being the difference.
The County Boys started the second half on the attacking front in the 54th minute, as midfielder Kyle Scott pushed forward on the left side of the pitch, crossing the ball into the box. Scott played the ball just out of reach of Zubak, however, forward Bryce Jamison caught up to it on the right side of the box. Jamison fired one from a difficult angle, as it missed just wide right of the frame.
The Black and Orange turned the momentum in the 57th minute. After winning a corner, captain Brian Iloski sent a cross into defender Ashton Miles. Miles backheeled the ball into traffic and Zubak met it first, crushing the ball into the back of the net to level the score at 1-1.
OCSC attempted to put another one on the board in the 64th minute as Scott again pressed forward. Scott found Dunbar in the center of the box, who fired a left-footed-shot that missed just wide to the left.
Phoenix found another opportunity in the 73rd minute as Torres sent a cross into the center of the box that found the head of Gallardo. His header hit the crossbar and over the bar out of play.
The game got chippy late with both teams searching for the winning goal. Phoenix substitute defender Edgardo Rito fell down in the box after a tough challenge from substitute Ben Barjolo. Subsequently, Rito shoved defender Andrew Fox, resulting in a yellow card. Rito continued jabbing at the referee and was shown a red card and an automatic ejection. This left Phoenix with 10 men for the remainder of the match.
However, despite being down a man, Phoenix broke through the OCSC defense in the 87th minute. Traore played a ball over the top finding substitute forward Juan Carlos Azocar on the right side of the box. Azocar played the ball across the box to Formella at the back post and into the bottom left corner of the net for his second goal of the game, giving Phoenix the eventual 2-1 victory.
The Black and Orange continue their road trip next Saturday, June 15 against Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, but will return to Championship Stadium on Saturday, June 29 for Marvel Night against Oakland Roots SC at 7:00 PM! This match features our fan favorite Touch-A-Truck event! A limited number of tickets are still available for Touch-A-Truck and the match, grab yours today!
MILESTONES AND FACTS:
Forward Ethan Zubak scored his second goal of the season.
For the third straight week, OCSC fielded the youngest squad in the league.
17-year-old Duran Ferree made his third start of the season.
| TEAM | FIRST HALF | SECOND HALF | FULL TIME |
| OCSC | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| PHX | 1 | 1 | 2 |
SCORING SUMMARY:
6’ Dariusz Formella (PHX)
57’ Ethan Zubak (OCSC)
87’ Dariusz Formella (PHX)
DISCIPLINE SUMMARY:
ORANGE COUNTY SC
45 +1’ Ashton Miles
59’ Owen Lambe
79’ Ashish Chattha
PHOENIX RISING FC
22’ José Hernández
51’ Alejandro Fuenmayor
83’ Edgardo Rito
84’ Edgardo Rito (RED)
ORANGE COUNTY SC LINEUP:
Duran Ferree (GK); Owen Lambe, Ashton Miles, Andrew Fox, Ashish Chattha (Marcus Lee 90+2’); Seth Casiple, Kyle Scott, Sofiane Djeffal (Cameron Dunbar 55’), Brian Iloski (C); Bryce Jamison (Ben Barjolo 82’), Ethan Zubak
Unused subs: Colin Shutler (GK), Ryan Ayoub, Ben Norris, Ethan Loomis
Head Coach: Morten Karlsen
Possession: 43% | Shots: 9 | Shots On Goal: 1 | Corners: 2 | Fouls: 11 | Offsides: 3 |
PHOENIX RISING FC LINEUP:
Rocco Rios Novo (GK); Alejandro Fuenmayor (Pape Mar Boye 68’), John Stenberg (C), Moahmed Traore, Laurence Wyke (Edgardo Rito 58’); Erickson Gallardo (Juan Carlos Azocar 87’), José Hernández (John Scearce 68’), Renzo Zambrano, Panos Armenakas (Fede Varela 58’); Dariusz Formella, Gabi Torres
Unused subs: Patrick Rakovsky (GK); Christopher Grote, Giulio Doratiotto, Zachary Smuck
Head Coach: Danny Stone
Possession: 57% | Shots: 10 | Shots On Goal: 5 | Corners: 1 | Fouls: 11 | Offsides: 4 |
Orange County SC @ Phoenix Rising FC
2024 USL Championship | Matchday 13
Date: June 8, 2024
Venue: Phoenix Rising Soccer Complex on 38th and Washington (Phoenix, AZ)
Weather: Heartbreak Hotel in the Heat