TULSA – Milo Yosef’s 26th birthday came with an extra present Wednesday as his goal in the 37th minute helped FC Tulsa to a 1-1 draw against Las Vegas Lights FC.
With the result, head coach Mario Sanchez and FC Tulsa pushed to 7-9-10 (31 points) while Las Vegas Lights FC moved to 10-8-9 (39 points) to slot eighth and sixth in the Western Conference, respectively.
“I give the guys all the credit, because we came up with a game plan and they executed really well,” Sanchez said. “You could see in the last 15 or so, we started to fade, and they brought on some new subs. You always want three points, but a point is huge, especially in conference.
“It keeps us in eighth place and gives us a little momentum heading into Saturday night, really proud of the guys.”
The match opened with a teaser for FC Tulsa as forward Aaron Bibout nailed a volley shot in the sixth minute, only to be disallowed on an offside call. Las Vegas Lights FC crept into the conversation one minute later as Khori Bennett launched a shot from the right side of the penalty area before being blocked by Johan Peñaranda. Jean-Claude Ngando took a running attempt from the center of the 18-yard box but overshot the goal.
Following a 10-minute shot drought, FC Tulsa collected yellow cards in the 30th and 34th minute, with Boubacar Diallo and Harvey St Clair notching them.
FC Tulsa strung together two highlights in the 36th and 37th minute – etching the scoreboard in the process.
Opening the sequence, defender Alexis Souahy logged a spectacular block, posting a header to the top crossbar to hold Ngando off the board. The sequence came off of a Ngando dribble which took Peñaranda out of the box, leaving Souahy to take his place.
“I think it was just instincts,” Souahy said. “I read the shot and I tried my best to make it bigger on the goal line. Luckily, I had a bit of help with the crossbar.”
Yosef marked the opening goal a minute later as Faysal Bettache butted into a Las Vegas throw-in, sounding a left-footed cross into the box for Yosef’s tap-in. The goal marked Yosef’s second in USL Championship competition this season, both being against Las Vegas, while Bettache added his first assist in league play.
“It was a relief,” Yosef said. “It felt great to be honest. I was trying to focus on what I can control, go out there, have fun and enjoy it again.”
“It’s my birthday. I had a phone call with my mom this morning. She manifested it. She said I would score today, so that goal was for her.”
Bibout flirted with a pair of shot attempts in the early portion of the second half, missing a header to the left of the goal before missing on a cross attempt. In five matches with FC Tulsa, the forward has generated 12 shot attempts.
Las Vegas Lights FC midfielder Coleman Gannon plugged in off the bench for the equalizer in the 78th minute.
Up next, FC Tulsa rounds out a nine-day, three-match stint as it faces Louisville City FC at home on Saturday, September 14, at 7:30 p.m. CT. The club is set to celebrate Vamos Tulsa Night during action, presented by Arvest. Tickets are available here.
Goals:
38’ TUL — M. Yosef (Assist: F. Bettache)
78’ LV — C. Gannon (Assist: O. Jabang)
Cards:
30’ TUL — B. Diallo
34’ TUL — H. St Clair
56’ LV — G. Doody
75′ — M. Howell
Lineups:
TUL: Johan Peñaranda, Alexis Souahy, Boubacar Diallo, Andrew Booth, Milo Yosef, Stefan Stojanovic, Bradley Bourgeois, Aaron Bibout, Owen Damm, Harvey St Clair, Faysal Bettache (Subs: D. Pacheco, B. Ferri, R. Tetteh, P. Seagrist)
LV: Raiko Arozarena, Gennaro Nigro, Maliek Howell, Joe Hafferty, Grayson Doody, Joe Gyau, Jean-Claude Ngando, Charlie Adams, Shawn Smart, Valentin Noel, Khori Bennett (Subs: O. Jabang, C. Pinzón, S. Asante, C. Gannon)
