It took extra time but Sporting AZ FC’s magical US Open Cup run ended Wednesday night with a 2-1 loss to visiting USL side Fresno FC.
There was nothing Andrew Weber could do in the 99th minute as Renato Bustamante was left with a free header in the six-yard box to score the winning goal. Sporting AZ FC had a chance at the very end but the cross sent across by Andrew Weber went over the bar.
It took both teams until the second half to produce despite a number of chances and close calls in the first half. Ryan Flood opened the scoring in the 66th minute with a low deceptive strike that just snuck past GK Kyle Reynish. Fresno did not wait long to respond, scoring from a similar long-range strike in the 75th minute by Daniel Barrera. The remaining 15 minutes were spent back and forth culminating in a diving save from Andrew Weber in the 94th minute.
Sporting AZ FC returns to UPSL action June 9th to face Southwest FC.
Scoring Summary
66’- SAZ, Ryan Flood
75’- FFC, Daniel Barrera
99’- FFC, Renato Bustamante
