The nylon behind Johan Peñaranda has gone virtually untouched.
Closing out July with a clean-sheet draw to Indy Eleven, Peñaranda, FC Tulsa’s goalkeeper, and the club enter August rising up the franchise record books. Allowing just one goal across its past five matches, FC Tulsa has marked the franchise’s fewest goals allowed in a five-game stint and its longest clean-sheet streak ever.
“They’re very motivated,” head coach Mario Sanchez said. “I think they can also sense that we’re close to our goals. The belief is growing.”
The progression to this point has been long in the making and is a testament to the club’s ever-evolving culture under Sanchez.
Establishing a defensive identity has been of the utmost importance in Green Country. With a locker room loaded with young talent and experience, FC Tulsa filled up the stat sheet to open the season, but it also began to fill up the injury report. In May, the club turned to the market, adding defender Owen Damm via loan from Louisville City FC. In June, it turned to Peñaranda, who was playing in Miami AC of USL League Two, for a boost after losing its one-two punch of Michael Creek and Joey Roggeveen to injury.
Adding the pair to its back third planted seeds of success in May as the club closed out June with a 2-1 win over Miami FC and a clean-sheet draw against Sacramento Republic FC, but it also added another layer. For Damm, the 20-year-old flashed excellence on June 19, earning USL Team of the Week honors with an assist and two interceptions, while Peñaranda added a clean sheet the following match.
A clean sheet that started this historic stretch.
FC Tulsa came seven minutes from fireworks on July 4, allowing its lone goal of the streak in penalty time to Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC. In action, the club garnered six saves, however, its loss in the possession battle led to 18 shot attempts from Switchbacks FC.
The fix came in the form of midfielder Andrew Booth, a five-year veteran known for his prominence in possession. After a pair of practices, he hit the pitch in the club’s July 13 match at Monterey Bay F.C. and plugged in nicely – even when the club had its back seemingly against the wall. After defender Bradley Bourgeois committed a foul in the box, Monterey Bay held the potential match-winning penalty kick in the 89th minute. One stutter step later, a Peñaranda deflection and a scramble later – FC Tulsa kept it off the board and secured another clean sheet draw.
“Having trust in our defensive shape is really important,” Booth said. “We know that we can rely on each other to get a clean sheet.”
Monterey’s road battle proved pivotal as FC Tulsa was tested with two of the league’s flashiest attacks to close out July. Opening against Memphis 901 FC, who entered the game leading the Western Conference in goals, FC Tulsa captured the spotlight as Philip Goodrum notched a SportsCenter Top 10 appearance with a backheel goal in the 1-0 win. Six days later against the league leader in crosses, Indy Eleven struggled to stretch the field, attempting eight shots with two on target – its fewest of the season – in play. The 0-0 draw closed another tough test against playoff competition and shed light on the club’s ability to snag three points on any given night.
The stretch has elevated Peñaranda to four clean sheets across six appearances with FC Tulsa, putting him on pace for the highest clean sheet percentage (66.7%) in club history and in the league this season, among qualified goalkeepers. Notching USL Team of the Week honors in Monterey, he has also given up just one goal on 63 shot attempts (18 on target) in the stretch. As a unit, the spurt has provided a strong accomplishment in the heart of the regular season.
For Bourgeois, FC Tulsa’s franchise leader in USL Championship play, the stretch highlights the club’s potential.
“Collectively, when you look front to back, I feel like our box is really, really good, and it’s something we’ve focused on over the past month and a half,” Bourgeois said. “We felt like it was coming along early on and some things weren’t flipping, but we’re on a good run. We’ve found a little bit of rhythm.”
FC Tulsa will look to continue its defensive prowess as it heads on the road to face San Antonio FC on Saturday, August 3, at 8 p.m. CT. The club returns home on Friday, August 9, at 7:30 p.m. to take on Orange County SC. For tickets visit, fctulsa.com/tickets.
