USL LEAGUE TWO: Rhormens shines bright as FC Tucson outlasts Almaden FC in shootout

Jul 21, 2025 242 Views USL 2

VENTURA, Calif. – Matheus Rhormens shined bright Friday night in a shootout and might as well have been the brightest star in the galaxy.

Well, at least above Ventura, California.

The NCAA Division I Queens University goalkeeper nearly stood on his head at Ventura College Stadium Field, as he stopped four penalty kicks during a shootout while his FC Tucson side converted two of four shots as FC Tucson advanced with a 2-1 win over Almaden FC in the Western Conference Quarterfinals.

The two teams were tied 0-0 at the end of regulation and 1-1 through two 15-minute full overtime periods.

While Rhormens was busy doing his thing emulating a world-class shot-stopper, FC Tuscon’s Lucas Thomas Christiensen and Joey Joiner misfired on their first two attempts in the shootout for FC Tucson.

David Boccuzzo and Filip Arras later made FC Tucson’s third and fourth attempts and with Rhormens making four saves, that helped lift Tucson to the next round.

With host Ventura County Fusion slipping past high-powered San Juan SC 2-1 in the other match at Ventura College Friday, FC Tucson will face nationally-ranked Ventura County at Ventura College Stadium Field Sunday night at 7 p.m. ET.

FC Tucson, the Southwest Division runner-up, improved to 8-2-3 overall and now have a 57-12 edge on the board this season.

It was the end of the road for the NorCal Division champion Almeden FC, which finishes the year 9-5-1 and with a scoring edge of 28-14.