Three Awarded Penalty Kicks Defined FC Tulsa’s Second Preseason Match of 2022
CASA GRANDE, Ariz. – As FC Tulsa hops on a plane back to Oklahoma having concluded its time in Arizona, the coaching staff and club are still searching for their first win in the preseason after falling to the hands of Oakland Roots SC, 3-2. A plethora of penalty kicks stole the headlines in the match as FC Tulsa earned one look and the California club earned two.
Just as it did in its first preseason match, FC Tulsa allowed the first goal of the match and risked giving up the second as well, but Sean Lewis made a critical save on an Oakland penalty kick to keep the margin at one and turned the tide. Before Lewis’ save, Tulsa looked flustered and a bit panicked, but the keeper’s monumental stop got his club going in the right direction. Unlike Oakland in its first penalty attempt, Tulsa’s go-to penalty taker in 2021, Darío Suárez, bagged his first preseason goal from the spot in the 38’ minute to draw the score line even at one a piece.
After the break, Oakland earned its second penalty kick of the match and converted it, a controversial call with seemingly little contact, and would go on to add another later in the half. However, FC Tulsa would not go down without a fight. Academy signee Josue Flores had his initial shot blocked in the 76’ minute but followed up on the rebound and beat the keeper and backline with his second effort, marking Flores’ first ever goal with FC Tulsa and establishing the final 3-2 score line.
With 180 minutes of preseason action under its belt, FC Tulsa finds itself 0-2 after two matches. However, the preseason is not defined by the results, but by the players finding their fitness and their stride. Goal scorers Darío Suárez and Brian Brown have already found the back of the net, new faces are beginning to gel with established players, and the two newest FC Tulsa Academy players, Josue Flores and Aimar Membrila, have impressed through their first two matches. However, the backline looks to solidify itself and form those crucial bonds with one another before the regular season kicks off after giving up six goals through the first two matches.
FC Tulsa returns home to train in the upcoming week before traveling to the Alamo State to take on San Antonio FC next Saturday, February 26. Kickoff from San Antonio is set for 1:00 p.m. CT.
