HAYWARD, Calif. – A seventh-minute goal from Aaron Bibout helped lift FC Tulsa to a 1-0 victory over Oakland Roots SC on Sunday at Pioneer Stadium.
With the result, head coach Mario Sanchez and FC Tulsa has improved to 34 points (8-11-10) while Oakland Roots SC remains at 40 points (12-14-4). FC Tulsa caps the weekend in the hunt for a playoff seed, slotting ninth in the conference and one point back of the playoff line. Oakland Roots SC closes the month scoreless, holding to a sixth-place seed after being shutout, 0-9, in September.
“I’m so proud of the team for tonight’s performance,” Sanchez said. “They carry great character and continue to fight for the club. The team continues to believe in themselves, and tonight was their reward.”
Bibout answered the call early in the contest, firing the opening score seven minutes into action. The play generated as Stefan Stojanovic received a pass near the right edge of the 18-yard box, toeing the endline. With defenders closing in, he delivered a precise back pass to Aaron Bibout, positioned just outside the center of the goalie box. Bibout fired a powerful right-footed shot that soared into the top of the net, leaving the goalkeeper, who had dived to his right, with no chance.
The 6-foot-4 attacker has made an immediate impact in back-to-back contests as he scored a goal eight minutes into play against Rhode Island FC in Week 29. The 20-year-old became the first FC Tulsa player to etch goals in back-to-back matches since Diogo Pacheco found paydirt in a pair of matches on June 8 and 19.
Bibout matched Oakland Roots SC total shot attempts with three in the first half, while FC Tulsa carried a 6-3 margin. Goalkeeper Johan Peñaranda made a pair of saves in the half, combating shot attempts from Dom Dwyer and Johnny Rodriguez in the 29th and 42nd minute, respectively.
Peñaranda showed off his verticality in the 70th minute, springing up and tapping a corner kick attempt, which was floating parallel to the center crossbar up and on top of the net.
The stretch was followed by a trio of yellow cards dished out in three minutes as Dwyer and Gagi Margvelashvili netted cards for Oakland in the 73rd and 74th minute, with Diogo Pacheco picking up a card against FC Tulsa in the 76th minute. With both sides ranking top 10 in fouls drawn, the whistle stayed active all night, with FC Tulsa and Oakland Roots SC netting 21 and 16 fouls, respectively.
FC Tulsa held off Oakland Roots SC’s comeback aspirations, helding them blank on 11 shot attempts (five on target) during play, with Peñaranda making diving saves in the 87th and 90(+7) minute to stymie any momentum.
Up next, FC Tulsa returns home for four of its next five matches in October. The club opens the slate on October 5 at 7:30 p.m. CT against El Paso Locomotive FC.
With home matches each weekend of October, the club is offering two different limited-time four match ticket packs. The pair of packages include a $60 endline seat four-pack and a sideline seat four-pack for $91.80. Four-pack deals can be found here, while the club’s single-match tickets are available here.
Goals –
7’ TUL – A. Bibout (A: S. Stojanovic)
Cards –
47’ TUL – A. Bibout
73’ OAK – Dom Dwyer
74’ OAK – Gagi Margvelashvili
76’ TUL – Diogo Pacheco
78’ TUL – Owen Damm
86’ TUL – Alexis Souahy
Lineups –
TUL: Johan Peñaranda, Patrick Seagrist, Alexis Souahy, Bradley Bourgeois, Owen Damm, Boubacar Diallo, Andrew Booth, Harvey St Clair, Aaron Bibout, Milo Yosef, Stefan Stojanovic (Subs Used: Arthur Rogers, Alex Dalou, Sebastian Sanchez, Diogo Pacheco, Faysal Bettache)
OAK: Paul Blanchette, Justin Rasmussen, Niall Logue, Gagi Margvelashvili, Guillermo Diaz, Rafael Baca, Daniel Gomez, Johnny Rodriguez, Camden Riley, José Sinisterra, Dom Dwyer (Subs Used: Baboucarr Njie, Irakoze Donasiyano, Trayvone Reid, Miche-Naider Chery, Ali Elmasnaouy)
Up Next: Up next, FC Tulsa returns home for four of its next five matches in October. The club opens the slate on October 5 at 7:30 p.m. CT against El Paso Locomotive FC. For tickets visit, fctulsa.com/tickets
