Match Recap by John Tranchina
The second half woes continue for the Tulsa Roughnecks FC.
For the third match in a row, Tulsa played a strong first half, then surrendered game-altering goals within the first 15 minutes of the second half en route to a disappointing loss.
On Thursday night, it was the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros who took advantage, scoring goals in the 52nd and 59th minutes before adding three more in the final 12 to hand the Roughnecks a 5-0 defeat in front of 2,704 at ONEOK Field.
Following a 3-2-1 stretch through July, Tulsa (5-15-3) has sunk a full 12 points back of Arizona United SC for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot with just seven contests remaining.
Isaiah Schafer Photo by Rich Crimi
"We had a couple of good chances in the first half, but it was a tale of two halves," said Roughnecks coach David Irving. "You wouldn't think we were the same team in the second half, and that's been the last three games. Whatever we do, it just doesn't seem to fit. It's disappointing. If you look at the last three games, that we've lost in the first 10-15 minutes of the second half, it's been breakdowns, mental, just not ready. That's unacceptable."
Against Orange County on Aug. 4 at home, Tulsa entered the second half leading 1-0, but surrendered goals in the 48th and 53rd minutes, and wound up losing 2-1.
On Aug. 11, in their previous outing, the Roughnecks were tied 0-0 after 45 minutes with the Western Conference's first-place team, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, but gave up the contest's only goal in the 60th minute, falling 1-0.
Match Recap by John Tranchina
The second half woes continue for the Tulsa Roughnecks FC.
For the third match in a row, Tulsa played a strong first half, then surrendered game-altering goals within the first 15 minutes of the second half en route to a disappointing loss.
On Thursday night, it was the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros who took advantage, scoring goals in the 52nd and 59th minutes before adding three more in the final 12 to hand the Roughnecks a 5-0 defeat in front of 2,704 at ONEOK Field.
Following a 3-2-1 stretch through July, Tulsa (5-15-3) has sunk a full 12 points back of Arizona United SC for the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot with just seven contests remaining.
Isaiah Schafer Photo by Rich Crimi
“We had a couple of good chances in the first half, but it was a tale of two halves,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “You wouldn’t think we were the same team in the second half, and that’s been the last three games. Whatever we do, it just doesn’t seem to fit. It’s disappointing. If you look at the last three games, that we’ve lost in the first 10-15 minutes of the second half, it’s been breakdowns, mental, just not ready. That’s unacceptable.”
Against Orange County on Aug. 4 at home, Tulsa entered the second half leading 1-0, but surrendered goals in the 48th and 53rd minutes, and wound up losing 2-1.
On Aug. 11, in their previous outing, the Roughnecks were tied 0-0 after 45 minutes with the Western Conference’s first-place team, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, but gave up the contest’s only goal in the 60th minute, falling 1-0.
And the second half meltdowns, while more pronounced recently, have actually been a year-long phenomenon, as the Roughnecks have been outscored after halftime this season by a 32-11 margin.
Edgar Espinoza photo (left) by Lori Scholl
It's perhaps even more frustrating because coming out better after the break is something the team has been trying to emphasize.
"We try to focus on that right now," said forward Cristian Mata, who had Tulsa's best opportunity, in the 16th minute. "We said the first 15 minutes (after halftime), 'Let's just get through them. The longer we stay in the game, the longer we have a chance of winning the game.' Unfortunately, things didn't go our way. Five is a little too much, that was a tough one to take."
The win extended Rio Grande Valley's unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4), a stretch in which it has not allowed a single goal against while scoring 15. The Toros (9-5-9), who moved to within one point of first place in the West with 36 points, have not surrendered a goal in 630 minutes.
It was six minutes after halftime when the game began to turn against the Roughnecks. In an attempt to deny RGV's Ruben Luna a clear breakaway, Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels dove out and took Luna down inside the penalty area, causing the officials to award the Toros a penalty kick.
It was the 52nd minute when Emilio Garcia stepped up to the dot and drilled a low shot inside the left goalpost, just past the diving Mangels.
Alex Mangels photo (right) by Rich Crimi
And the second half meltdowns, while more pronounced recently, have actually been a year-long phenomenon, as the Roughnecks have been outscored after halftime this season by a 32-11 margin.
Edgar Espinoza photo (left) by Lori Scholl
It’s perhaps even more frustrating because coming out better after the break is something the team has been trying to emphasize.
“We try to focus on that right now,” said forward Cristian Mata, who had Tulsa’s best opportunity, in the 16th minute. “We said the first 15 minutes (after halftime), ‘Let’s just get through them. The longer we stay in the game, the longer we have a chance of winning the game.’ Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way. Five is a little too much, that was a tough one to take.”
The win extended Rio Grande Valley’s unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4), a stretch in which it has not allowed a single goal against while scoring 15. The Toros (9-5-9), who moved to within one point of first place in the West with 36 points, have not surrendered a goal in 630 minutes.
It was six minutes after halftime when the game began to turn against the Roughnecks. In an attempt to deny RGV’s Ruben Luna a clear breakaway, Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels dove out and took Luna down inside the penalty area, causing the officials to award the Toros a penalty kick.
It was the 52nd minute when Emilio Garcia stepped up to the dot and drilled a low shot inside the left goalpost, just past the diving Mangels.
Alex Mangels photo (right) by Rich Crimi
Seven minutes later, it was 2-0. Rob Lovejoy fed a pass from the left wing across the goalmouth to Luna about 3 yards out off the right post, and Mangels made a nice sliding stop. The rebound bounced right back to Luna, though, and he chipped it past the flailing Mangels, just inside the post.
Pushing to get back into the game, Tulsa had its best opportunity of the second half in the 76th minute, when Jasson Ramos Carpio curled a free kick from 20 yards out towards the lower left side of the net, but Rio Grande Valley goalkeeper Calle Brown made a nice diving save.
Things really started to unravel after that, as Dzenan Catic scored just two minutes later to push the deficit to 3-0. Mangels came out about 10 yards to punch away a pass attempt, but the ball popped high in the air and landed on the foot of RGV's Jose Memo Rodriguez about 10 feet away. Rodriguez fired a point-blank shot at the empty net, but Tulsa defender Devin Morgan stepped in front and blocked it off the goal line. Unfortunately, the ball ricocheted right out to Catic, who drilled a 12-yard shot into the open right side of the net.
"With the penalty, within 10-15 minutes, we're 2-nil down again," Irving said. "Then we try to change it, we're chasing the game a little bit, and the team that scores the next goal is usually going to win it. If we had got one and got it to 2-1… But they get it and the game's over."
Irving acknowledged that Mangels had a difficult night at the office. Despite allowing five goals, though, the 23-year-old rookie out of the University of California-Berkeley still made six saves, increasing his USL-leading total to 91 on the season.
"Alex didn't play very well tonight," Irving said. "It wasn't his best performance. He's young and he's got to learn, but that's really disappointing."
The Toros made it 4-0 in the 82nd minute on Eric Bird's fifth goal of the season. Morgan's clearing attempt, a header from about 10 yards out, lofted up in the air to Bird, who volleyed it home from about 20 yards out.
Catic collected his second of the night and fourth of the year four minutes later, intercepting Morgan's pass back to Mangels, and chipping in a sharp angle shot from about 3 yards out on the right side.
Early on, RGV controlled the ball for much of the first 10-12 minutes, but it was the Roughnecks who generated the match's first legitimate scoring chance in the 16th minute. After receiving a quick feed from Sammy Ochoa, Mata cut into the middle and boomed an 8-yard shot, but Brown slid out and made a sparkling save.
Tulsa gained some momentum from that and applied significant pressure for most of the next 20-plus minutes.
Rio Grande Valley nearly took the lead in the 44th minute when Lovejoy sliced through several defenders into the middle and fired an 18-yard blast that appeared headed for the upper right corner before Mangels made a lunging stop.
"Unfortunately, the team didn't come out the same way as we did in the first half," Mata said. "I had a good one in the first half and that could have changed it. Unlucky I didn't get it."
The Roughnecks don't have a lot of time to feel despondent, though, because rival Oklahoma City Energy FC will be visiting ONEOK Field on Saturday night in the third installment of the Black Gold Derby, a game which will feature special edition Roughneck soccer balls handed out to the first 1,000 fans.
OKC has won the first two matches (of four total) between the clubs, so Tulsa needs a win to have a shot at earning the big wrench trophy. The Energy (8-3-10) sit sixth in the Western Conference, but just three points back of first place.
"We got to dust ourselves off pretty quick and get ready for OKC on Saturday night," Irving said. "We've got seven games to go, we're playing for pride, and the (Derby) at the minute. We'll never say die, but I know the boys are disappointed because we were in that game and the second half… It's very disappointing.
"We'll lick our wounds a little bit, but we need some better performances from individuals. We've got to keep battling. It's been a long season, we've just got to keep going. I feel bad for our fans, they support us and I know that we disappoint them. It's not good enough, that's the bottom line."
Seven minutes later, it was 2-0. Rob Lovejoy fed a pass from the left wing across the goalmouth to Luna about 3 yards out off the right post, and Mangels made a nice sliding stop. The rebound bounced right back to Luna, though, and he chipped it past the flailing Mangels, just inside the post.
Pushing to get back into the game, Tulsa had its best opportunity of the second half in the 76th minute, when Jasson Ramos Carpio curled a free kick from 20 yards out towards the lower left side of the net, but Rio Grande Valley goalkeeper Calle Brown made a nice diving save.
Things really started to unravel after that, as Dzenan Catic scored just two minutes later to push the deficit to 3-0. Mangels came out about 10 yards to punch away a pass attempt, but the ball popped high in the air and landed on the foot of RGV’s Jose Memo Rodriguez about 10 feet away. Rodriguez fired a point-blank shot at the empty net, but Tulsa defender Devin Morgan stepped in front and blocked it off the goal line. Unfortunately, the ball ricocheted right out to Catic, who drilled a 12-yard shot into the open right side of the net.
“With the penalty, within 10-15 minutes, we’re 2-nil down again,” Irving said. “Then we try to change it, we’re chasing the game a little bit, and the team that scores the next goal is usually going to win it. If we had got one and got it to 2-1… But they get it and the game’s over.”
Irving acknowledged that Mangels had a difficult night at the office. Despite allowing five goals, though, the 23-year-old rookie out of the University of California-Berkeley still made six saves, increasing his USL-leading total to 91 on the season.
“Alex didn’t play very well tonight,” Irving said. “It wasn’t his best performance. He’s young and he’s got to learn, but that’s really disappointing.”
The Toros made it 4-0 in the 82nd minute on Eric Bird’s fifth goal of the season. Morgan’s clearing attempt, a header from about 10 yards out, lofted up in the air to Bird, who volleyed it home from about 20 yards out.
Catic collected his second of the night and fourth of the year four minutes later, intercepting Morgan’s pass back to Mangels, and chipping in a sharp angle shot from about 3 yards out on the right side.
Early on, RGV controlled the ball for much of the first 10-12 minutes, but it was the Roughnecks who generated the match’s first legitimate scoring chance in the 16th minute. After receiving a quick feed from Sammy Ochoa, Mata cut into the middle and boomed an 8-yard shot, but Brown slid out and made a sparkling save.
Tulsa gained some momentum from that and applied significant pressure for most of the next 20-plus minutes.
Rio Grande Valley nearly took the lead in the 44th minute when Lovejoy sliced through several defenders into the middle and fired an 18-yard blast that appeared headed for the upper right corner before Mangels made a lunging stop.
“Unfortunately, the team didn’t come out the same way as we did in the first half,” Mata said. “I had a good one in the first half and that could have changed it. Unlucky I didn’t get it.”
The Roughnecks don’t have a lot of time to feel despondent, though, because rival Oklahoma City Energy FC will be visiting ONEOK Field on Saturday night in the third installment of the Black Gold Derby, a game which will feature special edition Roughneck soccer balls handed out to the first 1,000 fans.
OKC has won the first two matches (of four total) between the clubs, so Tulsa needs a win to have a shot at earning the big wrench trophy. The Energy (8-3-10) sit sixth in the Western Conference, but just three points back of first place.
“We got to dust ourselves off pretty quick and get ready for OKC on Saturday night,” Irving said. “We’ve got seven games to go, we’re playing for pride, and the (Derby) at the minute. We’ll never say die, but I know the boys are disappointed because we were in that game and the second half… It’s very disappointing.
“We’ll lick our wounds a little bit, but we need some better performances from individuals. We’ve got to keep battling. It’s been a long season, we’ve just got to keep going. I feel bad for our fans, they support us and I know that we disappoint them. It’s not good enough, that’s the bottom line.”