Arizona United Ends 2016 with 3-2 Loss
September 24, 2016 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Phoenix Rising FC News Release
Arizona United Soccer Club finished its 2016 campaign with a 3-2 loss to Portland Timbers 2 in Portland, Oregon. The club finishes the season with 34 points and a 9-14-7 record, good for 13th in the Western Conference Standings.
Midfielder Luke Rooney scored his eighth goal of the season in the 21st minute after he blasted a hard shot from distance that beat the goalkeeper to his left. The score remained 1-0 Arizona United SC until the 28th minute.
That's when T2 forward Augustine Williams made a run into the right half of the box, and then smashed a shot into the far left side of the net to make it 1-1. Less than 10 minutes later, in the 35th minute, forward Villyan Bijev ran up the endline, cut to his right, and then fired a shot past the diving Carl Woszczynski to make it 2-1, T2.
Portland would score one more time before the end of the half. It was Bijev again, this time shaking off two defenders and then squeezing a shot inside the near-left post to make it 3-1.
United forward Chris Cortez cut the lead in the 72nd minute when he curled his free kick into the top right corner of the net to make it 3-2. But Arizona couldn't create another dangerous opportunity to level the score.
Despite finishing the season outside of the playoff picture, Arizona United SC set club records for most team goals (38), team assists (28), and team points (104) in a season. Also, four different players (Tyler Blackwood, Chris Cortez, Luke Rooney, and Long Tan) had 10 or more points this season. The previous record for most individuals with 10 or more points in a season was two.
Match: Arizona United SC at Portland Timbers 2
Date: September 24, 2016
Location: Merlo Field | Portland, Oregon
Attendance: 3,602
Man of the Match: Villyan Bijev
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