Adrián Diz Pe Delivers for FC Tulsa Late as the Points were Split on Saturday
Adrián Diz Pe Delivers for FC Tulsa Late as the Points were Split on Saturday
TULSA – A topsy-turvy night at ONEOK Field between FC Tulsa and Louisville City FC saw the home side go up early, lose its lead, then come back to draw level in spectacular fashion as Tulsa picked up a critical point against one of the top clubs in the league late in the playoff race.
FC Tulsa started the match off with a bang, needing only 11 minutes to open the scoring against the leaders of the Eastern Conference. Eric Bird did brilliantly to find Rodrigo da Costa lurking on the shoulder of LouCity’s last man and lobbed a ball right where it needed to be. FC Tulsa’s leading scorer did the rest, putting his shot inside the far post and giving the club in black the 1-0 advantage.
From that moment until the end of the half, Louisville City showed why they are at the top of the conference. A terrifying sequence for FC Tulsa fans in the 32′ minute saw Louisville City fire off multiple shots as the ball pinged around Tulsa’s danger area for nearly 20 seconds. The defense stood strong with a noble save from Austin Wormell, multiple tackles from Eric Bird, and finally a sacrificial block from Adrián Diz Pe to keep the ball out of the net.
Louisville would, however, find the equalizer in the 35′ minute as another set piece concession on Tulsa’s behalf put LouCity on the board. The initial ball was not cleared properly by the defense and found LouCity’s Enoch Mushagalusa who put the ball past Austin Wormell.
The first half concluded with Louisville City retaining 58% of the possession and outpacing FC Tulsa in expected goals, 1.54 to 0.50.
Contrary to the first 45 minutes, the second half commenced at a snail’s pace. Only two total shots were taken through the first 19 minutes of the period, one being credited to each side.
Louisville was able to break the deadlock in the 73′ minute as a turnover from the Tulsa backline resulted in a 3-on-1 break for LouCity. Corben Bone found Mushagalusa nicely as the winger slotted in his second of the night from the left side and doubled his side’s score, 2-1.
But as we all know, no FC Tulsa match is truly over until the final whistle blows – nobody loves scoring late goals quite like FC Tulsa does.
A set piece goal for the 6’3” Cuban center-back Adrián Diz Pe has seemed imminent all season due to his size and the way he connects his head to incoming balls in the box, and on Saturday he finally got one. Off a cross whipped in by Sean McFarlane in the 84′ minute, Diz Pe used his frame and climbed above the defenders, rocketing his header into the back of the net and sending the crowd into a frenzy. A couple of pivotal saves late from Austin Wormell kept the scoreline even until the final whistle blew.
FC Tulsa picked up a massive point against one of the league’s top clubs, narrowing the gap between it and Detroit City FC to eight points with five matches left to play, including a crucial matchup with the club from the Motor City in a couple of weeks.
Below are three takeaways from tonight’s match.
1) An Impressive Debut
FC Tulsa’s 19-year-old midfielder Christopher Pearson made his professional debut in the 76′ minute of the match when he was subbed on for Eric Bird. Pearson looked every bit a veteran on the pitch, creating space and working alongside Kembo Kibato in the midfield. The Jamaican completed all five of his passes, logged one clearance, and nearly found the back of the net. A fingertip save from Kyle Morton denied Pearson of glory in his first FC Tulsa showing, but the parried shot resulted in a corner kick that Adrián Diz Pe converted for Tulsa’s second goal of the match.
2) Coming From Behind
After being down 2-1 in the second half but coming back to salvage a point, FC Tulsa has now won 12 points from losing positions this season. Only Sacramento Republic FC and Tampa Bay Rowdies have earned more from such positions this season with 18 and 20 respectively.
3) Identical Stats
FC Tulsa nearly mirrored first-place club Louisville City’s final stats on Saturday night with both clubs taking 14 shots, putting five attempts on target, and Tulsa edging out LouCity with 27 touches in its opponent’s box compared to Louisville’s 26. Possession was close at 53% to 48% in favor of Louisville, and both teams finished the evening completing 75% of their passes.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa hits the road for the first of three straight matches on the road, needing to make up ground on Detroit City FC and Miami FC to make the playoffs. The first stop is Connecticut as the club takes on Hartford Athletic in just a few days on Saturday, September 10. Be sure to tune into the match on My41 Tulsa or ESPN+!
