TULSA – Oh how different it could have been.
A missed penalty in the 2' minute by FC Tulsa foreshadowed a no-good, very-bad night that saw Memphis 901 FC score three first half goals en route to a 3-0 victory over Tulsa on Saturday night at ONEOK Field.
While FC Tulsa still holds onto third place in the Central Division, the position is tenuous and all hope for a home postseason match is now realistically gone. Memphis trails FC Tulsa by just four points and with a match in hand.
Despite outshooting Memphis 12-2 in the opening 45 minutes and owning 61 pct. of the possession, Tulsa went into the locker room trailing 3-0 with 901 FC scoring on practically every chance it received.
An unlucky deflection off the head of captain Bradley Bourgeois into the back of the net opened the scoring. A 25-yard shot that caught Tulsa keeper Austin Wormell out of position netted the second for Memphis, while Memphis scored a twisting shot just before the halftime whistle inside the Tulsa box. Two recorded shots, three first half goals – it was that kind of night for FC Tulsa.
A flurry of subs made no difference for Tulsa early in the second half as FC Tulsa was held scoreless at home for the second straight match. In truth, the scoreline could have been worse if not for several Austin Wormell saves late in the match to hold Memphis scoreless through the final 45 minutes.
Here are three quick takeaways from the defeat.
1) THREE GOALS ALLOWED
While it was the fifth time FC Tulsa had allowed at least three goals in a match, it was the first since June 19, a streak of 17 matches. On the other hand, it was just the third time all season that Memphis had scored three goals in a match and the first time it has scored three in a half.
2) LACK OF SCORING
FC Tulsa's offense has lacked the final touch for some time now. It has been 351 minutes since FC Tulsa scored in the run of play (non-penalty goal), dating back to the 9' minute of its 2-1 win over Indy Eleven on September 8.
3) MISSED PENALTY
It looked like FC Tulsa would open the scoring when Marlon earned a penalty just 40 seconds into the match. With Darío Suárez on the bench to start the match, forward Joaquín Rivas took the penalty. His shot was high, rattling the crossbar. It was the first penalty miss for Rivas in a Tulsa jersey as the Salvadoran had converted each of his last three. It has now been 18 FC Tulsa matches since Rivas scored, and the Salvadoran has just one goal in Tulsa's last 23 matches after scoring four in the first three.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa stays at ONEOK Field for a Saturday night match next weekend against El Paso Locomotive FC at 7 p.m. CT. El Paso sits in first in the Mountain Division and has lost just two matches all season with a record of 14W-2L-8D.
TULSA – Oh how different it could have been.
A missed penalty in the 2′ minute by FC Tulsa foreshadowed a no-good, very-bad night that saw Memphis 901 FC score three first half goals en route to a 3-0 victory over Tulsa on Saturday night at ONEOK Field.
While FC Tulsa still holds onto third place in the Central Division, the position is tenuous and all hope for a home postseason match is now realistically gone. Memphis trails FC Tulsa by just four points and with a match in hand.
Despite outshooting Memphis 12-2 in the opening 45 minutes and owning 61 pct. of the possession, Tulsa went into the locker room trailing 3-0 with 901 FC scoring on practically every chance it received.
An unlucky deflection off the head of captain Bradley Bourgeois into the back of the net opened the scoring. A 25-yard shot that caught Tulsa keeper Austin Wormell out of position netted the second for Memphis, while Memphis scored a twisting shot just before the halftime whistle inside the Tulsa box. Two recorded shots, three first half goals – it was that kind of night for FC Tulsa.
A flurry of subs made no difference for Tulsa early in the second half as FC Tulsa was held scoreless at home for the second straight match. In truth, the scoreline could have been worse if not for several Austin Wormell saves late in the match to hold Memphis scoreless through the final 45 minutes.
Here are three quick takeaways from the defeat.
1) THREE GOALS ALLOWED
While it was the fifth time FC Tulsa had allowed at least three goals in a match, it was the first since June 19, a streak of 17 matches. On the other hand, it was just the third time all season that Memphis had scored three goals in a match and the first time it has scored three in a half.
2) LACK OF SCORING
FC Tulsa’s offense has lacked the final touch for some time now. It has been 351 minutes since FC Tulsa scored in the run of play (non-penalty goal), dating back to the 9′ minute of its 2-1 win over Indy Eleven on September 8.
3) MISSED PENALTY
It looked like FC Tulsa would open the scoring when Marlon earned a penalty just 40 seconds into the match. With Darío Suárez on the bench to start the match, forward Joaquín Rivas took the penalty. His shot was high, rattling the crossbar. It was the first penalty miss for Rivas in a Tulsa jersey as the Salvadoran had converted each of his last three. It has now been 18 FC Tulsa matches since Rivas scored, and the Salvadoran has just one goal in Tulsa’s last 23 matches after scoring four in the first three.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa stays at ONEOK Field for a Saturday night match next weekend against El Paso Locomotive FC at 7 p.m. CT. El Paso sits in first in the Mountain Division and has lost just two matches all season with a record of 14W-2L-8D.
