North Texas SC defeated FC Tucson, 1-0, Tuesday night at Toyota Stadium. 

Ronaldo Damus scored the game’s only goal in the 39th minute after receiving a pass from Jose Kevin Bonilla. Damus created space for himself at the top of the penalty area and curled a low shot past goalkeeper Carlos Merancio Valdez to score his league-leading eighth goal of the season.  

Takeaways: 

TOP SCORER: Damus’ first-half strike moves him ahead of teammate Ricardo Pepi in the Race for the Golden Boot with eight goals scored. The Haitian striker has now scored five goals in his previous three matches to help his side cope with Pepi’s absence. Damus’ athleticism and pace have been on display throughout the first 13 weeks of the season, but he showed his quality on Tuesday night to pick out the corner from outside the 18-yard box. 

BACK ON TOP: With Tuesday’s win, North Texas moves back to the top of the League One standings, one point ahead of South Georgia Tormenta FC with 26 points. Tormenta does not play in Week 14, meaning North Texas will enter the midway point of the season in first place with one more win than their Georgia rivals. The two sides meet for the first time on July 20 at Toyota Stadium. 

STILL PERFECT IN FRISCO: North Texas claim to the top spot in the standings is due in large part to its perfect 6-0-0 record at Toyota Park this season. Eric Quill’s young squad looked happy to be back playing at home Tuesday night after spending the last month on the road. North Texas has been as dominant at home as its record indicates, outscoring opponents 13-4 and earning three clean sheets in six matches. North Texas will follow Tuesday’s win with two more home matches before heading back out on the road. 

LACKING THE FINISHING TOUCH: FC Tucson battled hard Tuesday night in a tough environment and looked the side more likely to score before Damus’ curling effort late in the first half. FCT created enough chances to earn something from the match, but lacked the finishing touch. The visitors attempted five shots from inside the 18-yard box, but failed to find the back of the net. FC Tucson will look to turn things around next Wednesday when they return home to host Toronto FC II before hitting the road for six straight matches.