A 90′ Minute Winner Off the Head of Machuca Makes it Three Wins for FC Tulsa in its Last Four Matches
TULSA – A frustrating first half for FC Tulsa erupted into fireworks, sirens, flashing lights, and celebration on Saturday night at ONEOK Field as a brilliant performance by goalkeeper Austin Wormell and a 90′ minute stunner from Machuca cemented the 1-0 victory in a crucial matchup against Indy Eleven.
It was FC Tulsa that started the match off as the more dangerous side, just as it has been over its last three outings. The club earned three corner kicks over the first 17 minutes of the match, one of which was put just wide of the far post by the head of Adrián Diz Pe, the 6’3” center-back. In the same span, Indy mustered just one shot off target.
Tulsa had another golden chance in the 23′ minute when Lebo Moloto rainbowed a perfect ball right in front of an on-running Rodrigo da Costa, leading him into the box and creating a one-on-one chance with the Indy keeper. Da Costa took the shot with his first touch and uncharacteristically put his attempt just off target, screaming at the ground and showing plenty of visible frustration following the effort.
Time after time throughout the first half, the Indy backline was asked serious questions by Brian Brown, Lebo Moloto, Sean McFarlane, and others, but the black jerseys could not seem to find the back of the net.
The best look(s) of the half came in the 39′ minute as once again, Lebo Moloto led Sean McFarlane beautifully on the right side inside the 18-yard-box with only the Indy keeper to beat. He blistered a shot heading into the upper-90 of the goal, but somehow Tim Trilk got an outstretched hand out the ball for the visitors. However, the ball fell to Noah Powder who unleashed another attempt on goal that was miraculously saved again by Trilk from inside his own goal. Once again, FC Tulsa walked away from a prime scoring chance with nothing to show for it.
Through the first 45+1 minutes, FC Tulsa posted an astounding 1.28 XG, a number that could easily equate to three or four expected goals, but walked into the locker room at halftime with a zero on the scoreboard.
The second half was much quieter than the first half, at least at first. The match got off to a much cagier start and play was nowhere near as open as it was in the first half. Both clubs created a few good scoring chances between the 45′ and 65′ minutes, courtesy of Eric Bird for Tulsa and Solomon Asanté for Indy, but neither were classified as “good chances” in the stat book.
Austin Wormell came up big for Tulsa in the 66′ minute to keep Indy off the scoreboard on a point-blank diving header from Justin Ingram. Wormell displayed his cat-like reflexes again only four minutes later to stop a powerful shot off the boot of Stefano Pinho, earning his fourth and fifth saves of the contest.
A round of substitutions for FC Tulsa gave the club late life, and in dramatic fashion, the Honduran substitute Machuca elicited a ONEOK roar from the crowd of over 5,000 in the 90′ minute of play. Another Tulsa substitute, Gabi Torres, received the cross from the left flank and somehow managed to chest the service up into the air and toward Machuca. Machuca was certainly not going to let the chance pass him by and headed the ball just inside the far post, giving FC Tulsa the 1-0 advantage in the final minute of regulation.
A nervy 4+ minutes followed for FC Tulsa as the club desperately defended and Austin Wormell made another mammoth save for his hometown club in the final minute of the match, bringing his total to six on the night as the 24-year-old continued his extraordinary season between the posts.
With three points to kick off Tulsa’s three-match home stand and wins in three of its last four outings, FC Tulsa is riding high on momentum as every match from here on out has playoff implications. A Detroit City FC loss tonight allowed FC Tulsa to gain three points on the Michigan side, and the remaining two home matches for FC Tulsa this week are shaping up to be can’t-miss affairs.
THREE TAKEAWAYS FROM TONIGHT’S MATCH
1) Late Night Machuca
Machuca’s match winner in the 90′ minute on Saturday night was the Honduran’s second of the season for FC Tulsa, and both were dramatic finishes in front of the home crowd. His first came back in the home opener against Birmingham Legion FC, a shot from 40 yards out in the 90+5′ minute to secure the 3-1 victory for Tulsa.
2) Wormell Continues to Wonder
Austin Wormell turned in another breathtaking 90 minutes against Inday Eleven, making six saves that included stopping several short-hop strikes and darting deliveries. In 13 starts for FC Tulsa this season, Wormell has made 53 saves and has posted an 80.6% save pct., good for the best percentage in the USL Championship. His clean sheet on Saturday was his fourth of the season and Wormell has only conceded two goals over Tulsa’s last four matches.
3) ONEOK Fortress
With its win over Indy Eleven, FC Tulsa improved its 2022 home record to 7W-3L-2D with a +5 goal differential while making ONEOK Field the site of three of its five clean sheets on the season.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa stays in town as Hartford Athletic makes the trip down from Connecticut. The match is the rescheduled contest from earlier this season that had to be postponed due to a Covid-19 outbreak in the Tulsa camp and will be the first of two clashes between these Eastern Conference foes. Fans can get their tickets to the match here!
