Brace from Phillip Goodrum Keeps the Good Times Rolling in Tulsa
Brace from Phillip Goodrum Keeps the Good Times Rolling in Tulsa
TULSA – One of the most dramatic endings the USL Championship will see this season played out at ONEOK Field on Saturday night as a 90+5′ minute winner from Phillip Goodrum increased FC Tulsa’s current win streak to four in a row.
FC Tulsa was determined to keep its streak rolling early, taking the 1-0 advantage only 13 minutes into the contest. The man in scorching form, Marcus Epps, delivered for his club with a beauty. Eric Bird curled in a perfect 50-yard pass to the back post where his delivery was greeted by Epps who passed it into the back of the net.
Hartford responded with a goal of its own in the 24′ minute that transpired from a long throw in. Although the thrower appeared to step into the field of play, the referees did not signal the infraction and the launch found a Hartford head for the equalizer.
Phillip Goodrum would not let Tulsa enter halftime without the lead and the forward did what he does best – score goals. Moses Dyer dispossessed a Hartford center-back deep within enemy territory with a perfectly-timed sliding tackle from behind. Dyer quickly got to his feet, chased down the ball, and flipped in a pint-point cross without looking in the direction of Goodrum. The striker ushered the ball past the keeper with his head and Tulsa went into the break ahead, 2-1.
Following a goal-filled first 45 minute period, the visitors opened the scoring in the second half when a low-driven cross wound up in the back of the Tulsa net due to an own goal in the 60′ minute.
Things calmed down a bit over the ensuing 30 minutes. FC Tulsa continued to dominate Hartford in the shots category 18-7, but the scoreline remained unchanged.
However, as anyone familiar with FC Tulsa soccer knows, this club is not done until the final whistle blows, even in the 90+5′ minute – especially when Phillip Goodrum is on the pitch.
Collin Fernandez entered the match as a substitute in the 66′ minute, and he would go on to deliver the match-winning service five minutes into stoppage time. As time was running out and the carriage was seconds from turning back into a pumpkin, Fernandez lifted a ball over two defenders that dove right to the feet of Goodrum. The clinical forward made no mistake, buried his shot, and madness overtook every soul inside ONEOK Field. FC Tulsa stole all three points at the death by way of a 3-2 victory as the jubilant praises of Phillip Goodrum showered down upon the celebrating squad from the fans.
In nine matches for FC Tulsa, Goodrum is now up to six goals scored and two assists tallied. Saturday night also marked his second brace of the season and the sixth of his USL Championship career.
The Tulsa soccer tide has officially shifted, and FC Tulsa has put the USL Championship on alert.
UP NEXT
FC Tulsa’s final contest of its three-match home stand will play out at ONEOK Field next Friday, June 21, when Rio Grande Valley Toros FC comes to town. A win would tie the longest win streak in franchise history at five consecutive victories.
GOALS
13′ TUL – Marcus Epps (assist: Eric Bird)
24′ HFD – Elvis Amoh (assist: Matt Sheldon)
35′ TUL – Phillip Goodrum (assist: Moses Dyer)
60′ HFD – Rashid Tetteh (Own Goal)
90+5′ TUL – Phillip Goodrum (assist: Collin Fernandez)
LINEUPS
FC Tulsa: Nelson, Ruxi, Tetteh, Malou, Armour, McCabe, Bird, Yosef, Epps, Dyer, Goodrum (Subs used: Ferri, Fernandez, Pearson, Haji)
Hartford Athletic: Sánchez, Sheldon, Hodge, Lapert, McGlynn, Rito, Lewis, Torres, Barrera, Saydee, Amoh (Subs used: Kibato, Edwards, Merrill, Apollon)
Marcus Epps – 13′ Minute
Marcus Epps – 13′ Minute
Phillip Goodrum – 35′ Minute
Phillip Goodrum – 35′ Minute
