Williams Scores his Third Goal in Last Two Matches, but FC Tulsa Falls to San Antonio FC
SAN ANTONIO, Texas – It may have taken an extra 50 minutes to get kicked off from San Antonio due to lightning and inclement weather across South Texas, but the skies finally cleared and the soccer gods said, “Let’s play.” It was a tale of two halves for FC Tulsa, and unfortunately, the final score didn’t go Tulsa’s way.
The action got off to an immediate start with a collision in the 1′ minute between FC Tulsa’s JJ Williams and the San Antonio keeper, Jordan Farr, on the first ball sent in by newly-acquired wingback Sean McFarlane. Williams came just inches away from connecting with the cross before making contact with Farr, and thankfully both walked away uninjured.
Just moments later, Lebo Moloto whipped in a brilliant corner kick that Williams was able to get on the end of, but his shot flicked off his head just wide past the far post. FC Tulsa continued to dominate possession and create the better scoring chances through the first 15 minutes of the match, but the tide then began to shift in favor of San Antonio. FC Tulsa set its defensive line high and kept its composure, biding its time and looking for the breakthrough.
That breakthrough would come in the 36′ minute, courtesy of none other than JJ Williams.
In his FC Tulsa debut, Sean McFarlane targeted Williams in the box with pinpoint accuracy, and Williams did what he does better than just about anyone else on the pitch – the 6’3” forward got airborne. Williams beat his defender in the air and headed the ball past the keeper to score his eighth goal of the season. Williams has now tallied three goals over his last two matches and has accounted for FC Tulsa’s last three goals.
The second half got off to a slow start, but two goals in 90 seconds for San Antonio quickly flipped the script of the match. The first score for the Texas side came in the 55′ minute following a buildup that took all of four passes to get from the San Antonio keeper into the back of the Tulsa net off the head of Ignacio Bailone. In the 57′ minute, a Tulsa turnover in the middle of the pitch left the defense scrambling out of position, allowing Samuel Adeniran to receive the ball and streak down the left side, putting his shot past Austin Wormell.
San Antonio FC nearly had a third goal in the 76′ minute from a set piece, but the goal was waived off for offsides.
FC Tulsa battled for a second goal late in the second half, but it would never transpire as the club would go on to drop its 10th match of the season and its eighth on the road.
Here are three takeaways from tonight’s match.
1) JJ WILLIAMS CAN’T BE STOPPED
With another goal on Tuesday night, JJ Williams extended his club-leading goal total to eight, bagging the 21st of his USL Championship career. Williams was named to the USL Championship Week 16 Team of the Week on Tuesday afternoon following his two-goal performance on Saturday night, marking his second Team of the Week award of 2022.
2) WELCOME TO TULSA, SEAN MCFARLANE
The newest face in the FC Tulsa roster had himself quite a debut for his new club against San Antonio FC. The Jamaican wingback notched his first assist as a member of FC Tulsa and created two scoring chances in total. McFarlane led the club with eight total crosses and intercepted the ball twice as well.
3) ROAD WOES CONTINUE
FC Tulsa still cannot seem to catch a break on the road in 2022. With its 2-1 defeat on Tuesday night, Tulsa fell to 0W-8L-1D away from ONEOK Field in 2022 despite having scored the opening goal in four of its nine matches as the visitors. The club still has not won a road match since September 3, 2021 at Louisville City FC.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa heads out east to Virginia for one more road match against Loudoun United FC before returning to ONEOK Field. Loudoun United is currently two spots below FC Tulsa in the Eastern Conference standings with 14 points earned in 16 matches played. The match will be available to watch locally on My41 or streamed on ESPN+.
