Game Recaps

The Sacramento Republic FC jumped out to a 2-0 lead after just 19 minutes, carried a 3-0 advantage into halftime and closed out the Roughnecks’ second United Soccer League season with a 4-0 triumph Saturday night in front of 4,158 faithful fans at ONEOK Field.

Tulsa finished the campaign with a final record of 5-21-4.

Photo Left of Kaleem by Lori Scholl

“All the interviews that we had this year could be the same interview,” said Coach David Irving. “It’s the same story, we give three goals away. You can’t do that. That’s been our Achilles’ heel. It’s been a challenging year for everyone – the organization, the players, me – everyone.”

With the win, Sacramento (14-6-10) moved into first place in the Western Conference standings, at least temporarily, pending the results of Colorado Springs’ later game against Orange County.

The lone bright spot for the Roughnecks on this night was the play of rookie goalkeeper Hunter Harrison, who made his first appearance of the season coming in to replace starter Jake Feener after halftime.

Harrison, who played a year at Oral Roberts University and spent most of the season as the Roughnecks’ third goalkeeper, made three saves on the night, all of them difficult ones, and was named the Roustabouts’ “Man of the Match.”

The Sacramento Republic FC jumped out to a 2-0 lead after just 19 minutes, carried a 3-0 advantage into halftime and closed out the Roughnecks’ second United Soccer League season with a 4-0 triumph Saturday night in front of 4,158 faithful fans at ONEOK Field.

Tulsa finished the campaign with a final record of 5-21-4.

Photo Left of Kaleem by Lori Scholl

“All the interviews that we had this year could be the same interview,” said Coach David Irving. “It’s the same story, we give three goals away. You can’t do that. That’s been our Achilles’ heel. It’s been a challenging year for everyone – the organization, the players, me – everyone.”

With the win, Sacramento (14-6-10) moved into first place in the Western Conference standings, at least temporarily, pending the results of Colorado Springs’ later game against Orange County.

The lone bright spot for the Roughnecks on this night was the play of rookie goalkeeper Hunter Harrison, who made his first appearance of the season coming in to replace starter Jake Feener after halftime.

Harrison, who played a year at Oral Roberts University and spent most of the season as the Roughnecks’ third goalkeeper, made three saves on the night, all of them difficult ones, and was named the Roustabouts’ “Man of the Match.”

“It felt nice to finally play in my first game,” Harrison said. “It’s been a year since I played, so it takes hard work, a lot of training, a lot of progress.  It also takes a lot of help from your teammates to keep your confidence going when you’re not playing. And when you get your chance, you have to go out there and play, and once I got in, I was able to show something.”

Photo Right of Hunter Harrison by Rich Crimi

Sacramento controlled the ball for much of the first half and went ahead just 10 minutes into the match. James Kiffe fed a pass from the left into the middle, where Mackenzie Pridham volleyed it waist-high from 10 yards out. The shot went down and bounced up and over Feener.

The Republic went up 2-0 in the 19th minute on Cameron Iwasa’s team-leading 12th goal of the season. Iwasa carried into the middle and drilled a shot from 20 yards out that took a deflection off a Tulsa defender leaving Feener with no chance as the ball rolled in off the left goalpost.

Tulsa’s deficit grew to three in the 35th minute after a foul by Kaleem, which earned him a yellow card and gave the Republic a free kick in the middle of the field about, 22 yards out. Daniel Barrera, the USL’s assists leader, took an impressive left-footed shot that curled around the wall of Roughneck defenders, past the diving Feener and just inside the right post.

After halftime, Irving inserted Harrison in place of Feener, and he made his first professional save in the 55th minute, a sliding, point-blank stop on Pridham.

“That was always in our plans,” Irving said of playing Harrison in the finale. “We weren’t going to make the playoffs, and he’s done well. He’s trained with us, he’s worked out every day and he’s young.  He was at ORU, and he did very well, no complaints. He enjoyed it too. He was a little nervous, but he got his feet wet, as you might say.”

Harrison came up big again in the 68th minute, making back-to-back stops. Octavio Guzman’s pass from the left side found Michael Da Fonte in the middle, about 10 yards out, for a header that forced Harrison to make a leaping save, deflecting the ball up and off the crossbar. The rebound bounced right out to Iwasa for a point-blank volley, and Harrison reached up for a left hand save while down on the ground as the offside flag went up. 

“It felt nice to finally play in my first game,” Harrison said. “It’s been a year since I played, so it takes hard work, a lot of training, a lot of progress.  It also takes a lot of help from your teammates to keep your confidence going when you’re not playing. And when you get your chance, you have to go out there and play, and once I got in, I was able to show something.”

Photo Right of Hunter Harrison by Rich Crimi

Sacramento controlled the ball for much of the first half and went ahead just 10 minutes into the match. James Kiffe fed a pass from the left into the middle, where Mackenzie Pridham volleyed it waist-high from 10 yards out. The shot went down and bounced up and over Feener.

The Republic went up 2-0 in the 19th minute on Cameron Iwasa’s team-leading 12th goal of the season. Iwasa carried into the middle and drilled a shot from 20 yards out that took a deflection off a Tulsa defender leaving Feener with no chance as the ball rolled in off the left goalpost.

Tulsa’s deficit grew to three in the 35th minute after a foul by Kaleem, which earned him a yellow card and gave the Republic a free kick in the middle of the field about, 22 yards out. Daniel Barrera, the USL’s assists leader, took an impressive left-footed shot that curled around the wall of Roughneck defenders, past the diving Feener and just inside the right post.

After halftime, Irving inserted Harrison in place of Feener, and he made his first professional save in the 55th minute, a sliding, point-blank stop on Pridham.

“That was always in our plans,” Irving said of playing Harrison in the finale. “We weren’t going to make the playoffs, and he’s done well. He’s trained with us, he’s worked out every day and he’s young.  He was at ORU, and he did very well, no complaints. He enjoyed it too. He was a little nervous, but he got his feet wet, as you might say.”

Harrison came up big again in the 68th minute, making back-to-back stops. Octavio Guzman’s pass from the left side found Michael Da Fonte in the middle, about 10 yards out, for a header that forced Harrison to make a leaping save, deflecting the ball up and off the crossbar. The rebound bounced right out to Iwasa for a point-blank volley, and Harrison reached up for a left hand save while down on the ground as the offside flag went up. 

The Republic got the fourth goal just seconds before stoppage time ended, one final, cruel kick to close out the Roughnecks year, as Harry Williams put home a 15-yard shot past the diving Harrison just inside the right goalpost.

Photo Left of Gary Cennerazzo by Brooke Carroll

Somehow that seemed like a fitting end to a disappointing season for Tulsa, one that started out with an encouraging win in the first game but was quickly followed by a 0-5-1 winless skid. Things just spiraled from there, as the Roughnecks lost five straight games at one point, and were 2-10-2 after 14 outings. A promising 3-2-1 stretch followed that, but the Roughnecks couldn’t sustain the momentum, last getting three points in a 2-1 victory over Arizona United SC on July 30.

But as Coach Irving pointed out, while the results didn’t go their way, they always put forth an inspired effort.

“A least I can say this – we never laid down, we always tried, they never quit on me, and regardless of the results, they worked their socks off,” Irving said. “We weren’t quite good enough. But, all credit to them, they could have lied down and rolled over, but they showed up for practice every day."

The Republic got the fourth goal just seconds before stoppage time ended, one final, cruel kick to close out the Roughnecks year, as Harry Williams put home a 15-yard shot past the diving Harrison just inside the right goalpost.

Photo Left of Gary Cennerazzo by Brooke Carroll

Somehow that seemed like a fitting end to a disappointing season for Tulsa, one that started out with an encouraging win in the first game but was quickly followed by a 0-5-1 winless skid. Things just spiraled from there, as the Roughnecks lost five straight games at one point, and were 2-10-2 after 14 outings. A promising 3-2-1 stretch followed that, but the Roughnecks couldn’t sustain the momentum, last getting three points in a 2-1 victory over Arizona United SC on July 30.

But as Coach Irving pointed out, while the results didn’t go their way, they always put forth an inspired effort.

“A least I can say this – we never laid down, we always tried, they never quit on me, and regardless of the results, they worked their socks off,” Irving said. “We weren’t quite good enough. But, all credit to them, they could have lied down and rolled over, but they showed up for practice every day.”

Match Recap by John Tranchina

After four consecutive road games, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC returned to ONEOK Field and dug themselves a quick 2-0 hole and never recovered, ultimately falling 3-1 to the Swope Park Rangers in front of 2,449 Wednesday night.

In a make-up date for the match originally scheduled for August 6 that was cancelled due to bad weather, Tulsa fell behind by two just 10 minutes in and, despite Sammy Ochoa’s team-leading 11th goal of the season – tied for seventh in the United Soccer League – were unable to battle all the way back.

The Roughnecks are now 5-20-4 as they head into Saturday’s season finale at home against Sacramento.

Cristian Mata photo by Rich Crimi

“It’s hard, knowing the season’s over and we’re not making the playoffs,” Ochoa said. “We still have to come out here and work. We got behind 2-0 and it’s kind of hard to fight back against a team that’s already in the playoffs, they’re on a run, so have to come out Saturday and be prepared to play. The season’s not over yet, a lot of guys are still fighting for a job (for next year).”

Kris Tyrpak scored two goals and former Roughneck goalkeeper Zac Lubin made five saves for Swope Park (13-10-6), which is 5-1 in its last six games and jumped into fourth place in the Western Conference with one more to play. The Rangers won all four meetings with Tulsa this season by a combined margin of 10-3.

“We did the same thing up in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago, gave up three goals in the first 20-25 minutes,” said Tulsa coach David Irving, referring to the Rangers’ 3-0 win on September 10. “Then we got a lot of the play, we got a goal back, we had some chances in the last third. At least we tried to make a fist of it, we came back and made a game of it. Now we’ll just lick our wounds and get ready for Saturday, our last game.”

Match Recap by John Tranchina

After four consecutive road games, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC returned to ONEOK Field and dug themselves a quick 2-0 hole and never recovered, ultimately falling 3-1 to the Swope Park Rangers in front of 2,449 Wednesday night.

In a make-up date for the match originally scheduled for August 6 that was cancelled due to bad weather, Tulsa fell behind by two just 10 minutes in and, despite Sammy Ochoa’s team-leading 11th goal of the season – tied for seventh in the United Soccer League – were unable to battle all the way back.

The Roughnecks are now 5-20-4 as they head into Saturday’s season finale at home against Sacramento.

Cristian Mata photo by Rich Crimi

“It’s hard, knowing the season’s over and we’re not making the playoffs,” Ochoa said. “We still have to come out here and work. We got behind 2-0 and it’s kind of hard to fight back against a team that’s already in the playoffs, they’re on a run, so have to come out Saturday and be prepared to play. The season’s not over yet, a lot of guys are still fighting for a job (for next year).”

Kris Tyrpak scored two goals and former Roughneck goalkeeper Zac Lubin made five saves for Swope Park (13-10-6), which is 5-1 in its last six games and jumped into fourth place in the Western Conference with one more to play. The Rangers won all four meetings with Tulsa this season by a combined margin of 10-3.

“We did the same thing up in Kansas City a couple of weeks ago, gave up three goals in the first 20-25 minutes,” said Tulsa coach David Irving, referring to the Rangers’ 3-0 win on September 10. “Then we got a lot of the play, we got a goal back, we had some chances in the last third. At least we tried to make a fist of it, we came back and made a game of it. Now we’ll just lick our wounds and get ready for Saturday, our last game.”

Trailing 3-1 entering the second half, the Roughnecks had two good chances to pull to within one, but Lubin denied them both times.

First, in the 77th minute, Ochoa fired a bomb from the right side, about 20 yards out, that appeared ticketed for the upper right corner of the net, but Lubin leaped up and punched it harmlessly over the crossbar.

Raymond Lee photo by Rich Crimi

“I took a left-footed shot, he made a great save,” Ochoa said of the play. “(Lubin) did a good job.”

In the 90th minute, TRFC had another opportunity, as Gary Cennerazzo dribbled into the box and had a point-blank shot on goal, forcing Lubin to make another strong save.

In their first home game in 32 days, the Roughnecks gave up the first goal just five minutes into the match. Tulsa goalkeeper Jake Feener came out to play the ball, but lost it to Swope Park’s Ever Alvarado about 10 yards out on the left side of the goalie box. Alvarado made a quick pass into the middle, where Tyrpak’s leaping header from 15 yards out found the empty net for a 1-0 Rangers lead.

Just five minutes later, the Roughnecks found themselves down by two, thanks to another nifty pass from Alvarado. This time, he fed one from deep on the left side into the middle, where a charging Dane Kelly banged it home from just 4 yards out.

“We just give away terrible goals. You can’t beat yourself,” Irving said. “It’s just terrible. You can’t legislate for that, it’s been every game. But we didn’t lie down, we kept going to that final whistle, and on another day, maybe we could have gotten something out of it, but that’s just the way it’s been going.”

Trailing 3-1 entering the second half, the Roughnecks had two good chances to pull to within one, but Lubin denied them both times.

First, in the 77th minute, Ochoa fired a bomb from the right side, about 20 yards out, that appeared ticketed for the upper right corner of the net, but Lubin leaped up and punched it harmlessly over the crossbar.

Raymond Lee photo by Rich Crimi

“I took a left-footed shot, he made a great save,” Ochoa said of the play. “(Lubin) did a good job.”

In the 90th minute, TRFC had another opportunity, as Gary Cennerazzo dribbled into the box and had a point-blank shot on goal, forcing Lubin to make another strong save.

In their first home game in 32 days, the Roughnecks gave up the first goal just five minutes into the match. Tulsa goalkeeper Jake Feener came out to play the ball, but lost it to Swope Park’s Ever Alvarado about 10 yards out on the left side of the goalie box. Alvarado made a quick pass into the middle, where Tyrpak’s leaping header from 15 yards out found the empty net for a 1-0 Rangers lead.

Just five minutes later, the Roughnecks found themselves down by two, thanks to another nifty pass from Alvarado. This time, he fed one from deep on the left side into the middle, where a charging Dane Kelly banged it home from just 4 yards out.

“We just give away terrible goals. You can’t beat yourself,” Irving said. “It’s just terrible. You can’t legislate for that, it’s been every game. But we didn’t lie down, we kept going to that final whistle, and on another day, maybe we could have gotten something out of it, but that’s just the way it’s been going.”

Ochoa pulled Tulsa back to within one with his first goal in eight games in the 19th minute. Barreling into the penalty area with the ball, Ochoa was pulled down by Rangers defender Amer Didic, and was awarded a penalty shot. Four days after he missed a PK in a 2-0 loss to San Antonio FC, Ochoa stepped up to the dot and slotted a low shot just inside the right goalpost.

Sammy Ochoao photo by Brooke Carroll

“In San Antonio, I missed a PK, and I got to get revenge,” Ochoa said. “That’s how soccer is – I got another PK, I put it away. I’m not happy we lost, but happy to be back on the scoresheet.”

The Roughnecks nearly tied it just two minutes later when Union High School and TU product Cristian Mata chased down a lead pass from Carlos Martinez and fired a 20-yard blast that sailed just over Lubin and the crossbar.

Swope Park made it 3-1 in the 27th minute on Tyrpak’s second of the night, as he volleyed home his seventh of the season from 5 yards out off a corner kick by Ayrton.

The Rangers continued to press and almost made it a three-goal margin six minutes later, when Kelly raced in on a breakaway, but Feener slid out to make a nice save.

Tulsa out-shot Swope Park 17-10 in the match.

The Roughnecks will close out what has been a disappointing and difficult season on Saturday against the Sacramento Republic FC, who are tied for first place in the West and looking to secure home field advantage in the playoffs. The first 1,000 fans into ONEOK Field will receive Ochoa Roughneck T-shirts, and a large Fireworks Spectacular will follow the game.

“We have one left, we've got to keep playing,” Irving said. “Hopefully, we can put in a good performance on Saturday, try to win and end on a high note.”

Ochoa pulled Tulsa back to within one with his first goal in eight games in the 19th minute. Barreling into the penalty area with the ball, Ochoa was pulled down by Rangers defender Amer Didic, and was awarded a penalty shot. Four days after he missed a PK in a 2-0 loss to San Antonio FC, Ochoa stepped up to the dot and slotted a low shot just inside the right goalpost.

Sammy Ochoao photo by Brooke Carroll

“In San Antonio, I missed a PK, and I got to get revenge,” Ochoa said. “That’s how soccer is – I got another PK, I put it away. I’m not happy we lost, but happy to be back on the scoresheet.”

The Roughnecks nearly tied it just two minutes later when Union High School and TU product Cristian Mata chased down a lead pass from Carlos Martinez and fired a 20-yard blast that sailed just over Lubin and the crossbar.

Swope Park made it 3-1 in the 27th minute on Tyrpak’s second of the night, as he volleyed home his seventh of the season from 5 yards out off a corner kick by Ayrton.

The Rangers continued to press and almost made it a three-goal margin six minutes later, when Kelly raced in on a breakaway, but Feener slid out to make a nice save.

Tulsa out-shot Swope Park 17-10 in the match.

The Roughnecks will close out what has been a disappointing and difficult season on Saturday against the Sacramento Republic FC, who are tied for first place in the West and looking to secure home field advantage in the playoffs. The first 1,000 fans into ONEOK Field will receive Ochoa Roughneck T-shirts, and a large Fireworks Spectacular will follow the game.

“We have one left, we’ve got to keep playing,” Irving said. “Hopefully, we can put in a good performance on Saturday, try to win and end on a high note.”

The Tulsa Roughnecks inability to score goals continued to haunt them Saturday night in a 2-0 loss in San Antonio.  The Roughnecks failed to convert a first-half penalty and missed several other scoring opportunities in the shutout loss.  It was the sixth time in the past seven outings that TRFC has failed to find the back of the net.

Match Photos courtesy of Darren Abate/San Antonio FC

The missed penalty came in the 12th minute when Kaleem was tripped in the left corner of the penalty area.  Captain Sammy Ochoa stepped to the spot and blasted his effort just to the right of goalkeeper Matt Ardone.  Ardone easily made the save, his fourth save of a PK this season, to keep the match scoreless.

Two minutes later, the Roughnecks had another chance to take the lead when Ochoa fed Carlos Martinez in space at the edge of the box.  But, Martinez fired high over the goal.

Tulsa defender Gary Cennerazzo made an effort to produce the first goal of the match in the 25th minute.  His low shot from 35 yards was saved by Ardone.

The Roughnecks benefited from the woodwork in the 35th minute to keep the match scoreless.  Rafael Castillo’s rolling shot beat Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels but bounced off the post. It was the second close call for Castillo as he had hit the crossbar earlier in the game.

It took San Antonio only five minutes after the halftime break to take the lead, on what appeared to be a harmless corner kick.  The cross came near four Roughnecks defenders, but the group could not clear the danger as the ball was poked to Franck Tayou.  The SAFC forward hit a soft, left-footed shot that got past Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels for the first goal of the match.

The Tulsa Roughnecks inability to score goals continued to haunt them Saturday night in a 2-0 loss in San Antonio.  The Roughnecks failed to convert a first-half penalty and missed several other scoring opportunities in the shutout loss.  It was the sixth time in the past seven outings that TRFC has failed to find the back of the net.

Match Photos courtesy of Darren Abate/San Antonio FC

The missed penalty came in the 12th minute when Kaleem was tripped in the left corner of the penalty area.  Captain Sammy Ochoa stepped to the spot and blasted his effort just to the right of goalkeeper Matt Ardone.  Ardone easily made the save, his fourth save of a PK this season, to keep the match scoreless.

Two minutes later, the Roughnecks had another chance to take the lead when Ochoa fed Carlos Martinez in space at the edge of the box.  But, Martinez fired high over the goal.

Tulsa defender Gary Cennerazzo made an effort to produce the first goal of the match in the 25th minute.  His low shot from 35 yards was saved by Ardone.

The Roughnecks benefited from the woodwork in the 35th minute to keep the match scoreless.  Rafael Castillo’s rolling shot beat Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels but bounced off the post. It was the second close call for Castillo as he had hit the crossbar earlier in the game.

It took San Antonio only five minutes after the halftime break to take the lead, on what appeared to be a harmless corner kick.  The cross came near four Roughnecks defenders, but the group could not clear the danger as the ball was poked to Franck Tayou.  The SAFC forward hit a soft, left-footed shot that got past Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels for the first goal of the match.

Tulsa continued to produce chances in search of an equalizer.  Cristian Mata’s effort from the top of the box went wide, and Cennerazzo’s long effort on a full volley off a corner kick also went outside the post.

Mata tried a chip from 30 yards in the 75th minute that was saved by Ardone.

Tulsa’s hopes of getting something from the match ended in the 87th minute when Carlos Alveraz beat Brady Ballew down the left side and delivered a cross to Shawn Chin in front of goal.  Chin’s low shot beat Jake Feener to make it 2-0.  Feener had just checked into the game after Mangels went down with an apparent leg injury.

It was the final road match of the season for the Roughnecks.  They will now return to Tulsa for the final two games of the season.  They will host the Swope Park Rangers on Wednesday before meeting the Sacramento Republic at ONEOK Field on Saturday, September 24 in the regular season finale.

Tulsa continued to produce chances in search of an equalizer.  Cristian Mata’s effort from the top of the box went wide, and Cennerazzo’s long effort on a full volley off a corner kick also went outside the post.

Mata tried a chip from 30 yards in the 75th minute that was saved by Ardone.

Tulsa’s hopes of getting something from the match ended in the 87th minute when Carlos Alveraz beat Brady Ballew down the left side and delivered a cross to Shawn Chin in front of goal.  Chin’s low shot beat Jake Feener to make it 2-0.  Feener had just checked into the game after Mangels went down with an apparent leg injury.

It was the final road match of the season for the Roughnecks.  They will now return to Tulsa for the final two games of the season.  They will host the Swope Park Rangers on Wednesday before meeting the Sacramento Republic at ONEOK Field on Saturday, September 24 in the regular season finale.

The Tulsa Roughnecks surrendered three first-half goals, including a goal of the year candidate from Kris Tyrpak, and dropped a 3-0 decision to Swope Park in Kansas City Saturday night.  The shutout loss leaves the Roughnecks on 19 points with only three matches remaining in the 2016 season.

The Rangers big first half began shortly after the opening whistle.  Just two minutes in, Dane Kelly set up Christian Duke who finished over Jake Feener for his second goal of the season to put Swope Park in front 1-0.

Over the next 15 minutes, the Rangers came close to doubling their lead, hitting the post once and having another goal waved off for offside.

Match photos of Kaleem & Gustavo Villalobos by N.Smith/Swope Park Rangers

Twenty minutes in, midfielder Raymond Lee had the first real opportunity for TRFC, but his shot sailed high over the goal.

The Tulsa Roughnecks surrendered three first-half goals, including a goal of the year candidate from Kris Tyrpak, and dropped a 3-0 decision to Swope Park in Kansas City Saturday night.  The shutout loss leaves the Roughnecks on 19 points with only three matches remaining in the 2016 season.

The Rangers big first half began shortly after the opening whistle.  Just two minutes in, Dane Kelly set up Christian Duke who finished over Jake Feener for his second goal of the season to put Swope Park in front 1-0.

Over the next 15 minutes, the Rangers came close to doubling their lead, hitting the post once and having another goal waved off for offside.

Match photos of Kaleem & Gustavo Villalobos by N.Smith/Swope Park Rangers

Twenty minutes in, midfielder Raymond Lee had the first real opportunity for TRFC, but his shot sailed high over the goal.

Swope did double its lead in the 32nd minute on Tyrpak’s wonder goal.  From 35 yards out on the left, Trypak was marked by Lee, but his quick, left-footed blast swerved past a diving Feener and into the far, upper corner of the net.  It was the former Austin Aztex forward’s fifth goal of the year.

Kelly capped off the big half in the 43rd minute.  With the Roughnecks defenders pushing forward, the speedy Kelly got behind the backline and left Feener with no chance as he slotted home his fourth goal of the season to make it 3-0.

In the second 45 minutes, with the Rangers protecting their three-goal lead, the Roughnecks had chances to break the shutout.  Just seven minutes in, Jasson Ramos Carpio beat his marker and whipped in a left-footed cross that found the head of Sammy Ochoa.  The Tulsa captain’s header was on target but it was smothered by Swope goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas.

Later in the half, Ochoa tested Zendejas again with a shot from distance, but the Rangers’ keeper again produced the save.

Cristian Mata had the final chance of the match in the 88th minute.  His free kick from deep on the left side, curved on target, but Zendejas made a punch save to preserve his shutout.

Tulsa was out-shot in the match 18-9.  Swope Park was called for 16 fouls in the game compared to 6 for the Roughnecks.

The Rangers, the USL side for Sporting KC, have now won all three meetings between the two sides this season.  The Roughnecks will have one final chance to claim a victory in the series this season when they host Swope Park on September 21 at ONEOK Field.

TRFC will return to action next Saturday, September 17, when it travels to Texas to face San Antonio FC.  Kickoff in the Alamo City is scheduled for 7:30pm.

Swope did double its lead in the 32nd minute on Tyrpak’s wonder goal.  From 35 yards out on the left, Trypak was marked by Lee, but his quick, left-footed blast swerved past a diving Feener and into the far, upper corner of the net.  It was the former Austin Aztex forward’s fifth goal of the year.

Kelly capped off the big half in the 43rd minute.  With the Roughnecks defenders pushing forward, the speedy Kelly got behind the backline and left Feener with no chance as he slotted home his fourth goal of the season to make it 3-0.

In the second 45 minutes, with the Rangers protecting their three-goal lead, the Roughnecks had chances to break the shutout.  Just seven minutes in, Jasson Ramos Carpio beat his marker and whipped in a left-footed cross that found the head of Sammy Ochoa.  The Tulsa captain’s header was on target but it was smothered by Swope goalkeeper Adrian Zendejas.

Later in the half, Ochoa tested Zendejas again with a shot from distance, but the Rangers’ keeper again produced the save.

Cristian Mata had the final chance of the match in the 88th minute.  His free kick from deep on the left side, curved on target, but Zendejas made a punch save to preserve his shutout.

Tulsa was out-shot in the match 18-9.  Swope Park was called for 16 fouls in the game compared to 6 for the Roughnecks.

The Rangers, the USL side for Sporting KC, have now won all three meetings between the two sides this season.  The Roughnecks will have one final chance to claim a victory in the series this season when they host Swope Park on September 21 at ONEOK Field.

TRFC will return to action next Saturday, September 17, when it travels to Texas to face San Antonio FC.  Kickoff in the Alamo City is scheduled for 7:30pm.

The Tulsa Roughnecks FC battled the Real Monarchs to a 1-1 draw Saturday evening before a crowd of 3,519 at beautiful Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.  Tulsa’s goal came early in the match, courtesy of Cristian Mata.

The entertaining draw ended a five-match losing streak for the Roughnecks and a three-match winning streak for the Monarchs. 

Match Photos courtesy of S.Taggart/Real Monarchs

The game began quickly with plenty of open spaces at each end.  The first scoring opportunity fell to the Monarchs in the first 90 seconds when Amet Ramirez fired a shot off the post.

In the sixth minute, the Roughnecks threatened when they were awarded a free kick for a foul just outside the penalty area.  Kaleem’s shot caromed off the wall for a corner, and Sammy Ochoa’s header off the cross from Iarfhlaith Davoren was cleared out of danger.

Just a minute later, Ricardo Velazco beat Roughnecks goalkeeper Jake Feener, but his shot rebounded off the crossbar as the woodwork saved TRFC for a second time.

Tulsa used a defensive miscue from the Monarchs to take the lead in the ninth minute.  A failed clearance went straight to Ochoa who one-timed a pass to Mata who slotted a shot past Monarchs keeper Eduardo Fernandez to put the Roughnecks in front 1-0.

For Mata, it was his fourth goal of the season and the tenth of his TRFC career.  The goal ended a stretch of 445 scoreless minutes for the Roughnecks.

Tulsa held the lead for most of the half as Feener made a pair of big saves to keep the Monarchs scoreless, but Velazco finally leveled the match in the 37th minute.  Real’s leading goal scoring was given too much space at the edge of the box, and he blasted a right-footed shot into the upper right corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1.  For Velazco it was his eighth goal of the 2016 campaign.

The Tulsa Roughnecks FC battled the Real Monarchs to a 1-1 draw Saturday evening before a crowd of 3,519 at beautiful Rio Tinto Stadium in Sandy, Utah.  Tulsa’s goal came early in the match, courtesy of Cristian Mata.

The entertaining draw ended a five-match losing streak for the Roughnecks and a three-match winning streak for the Monarchs. 

Match Photos courtesy of S.Taggart/Real Monarchs

The game began quickly with plenty of open spaces at each end.  The first scoring opportunity fell to the Monarchs in the first 90 seconds when Amet Ramirez fired a shot off the post.

In the sixth minute, the Roughnecks threatened when they were awarded a free kick for a foul just outside the penalty area.  Kaleem’s shot caromed off the wall for a corner, and Sammy Ochoa’s header off the cross from Iarfhlaith Davoren was cleared out of danger.

Just a minute later, Ricardo Velazco beat Roughnecks goalkeeper Jake Feener, but his shot rebounded off the crossbar as the woodwork saved TRFC for a second time.

Tulsa used a defensive miscue from the Monarchs to take the lead in the ninth minute.  A failed clearance went straight to Ochoa who one-timed a pass to Mata who slotted a shot past Monarchs keeper Eduardo Fernandez to put the Roughnecks in front 1-0.

For Mata, it was his fourth goal of the season and the tenth of his TRFC career.  The goal ended a stretch of 445 scoreless minutes for the Roughnecks.

Tulsa held the lead for most of the half as Feener made a pair of big saves to keep the Monarchs scoreless, but Velazco finally leveled the match in the 37th minute.  Real’s leading goal scoring was given too much space at the edge of the box, and he blasted a right-footed shot into the upper right corner of the net to tie the game at 1-1.  For Velazco it was his eighth goal of the 2016 campaign.

After the halftime break, it was the Roughnecks who started the most positively, controlling more of the possession in the first 20 minutes of the half.

Ochoa headed over the crossbar on a corner kick in the 49th minute.  Later, David Abidor got free down the wing, and his hard, right-footed shot forced a save from Fernandez.

Tulsa appeared to go back in front in the 61st minute.  Raymond Lee placed a long cross directly into the path of Mata who settled and beat Fernandez for what looked to be his second goal of the night, but the assistant’s flag went up for an offside call.

The chances kept coming as the unlucky Velazco nearly put the Monarchs in front in the 68th minute.  For the second time in the match, his shot bounced off the post to keep the score level.

Mata made a bid for Tulsa to claim the full three points late in the match.  In the first minute of four minutes of stoppage time, he got free for a shot from close range, but his effort went over the bar.

Just moments later, Feener dove to his left to keep a deflected shot from Ramirez out of the goal.

It would be the final effort of the night, as TRFC looked to attack at the other end, the referee blew the final whistle.

The draw came against a Monarchs side that had five starters who are on Real Salt Lake's MLS roster.  It leaves the Roughnecks with 19 points on the season. They will be back in action next Saturday night, September 10, when they travel to Kansas City to face the Swope Park Rangers.

Tulsa will close the season with two straight home matches at ONEOK Field, September 21 against the Rangers and September 24 against Sacramento Republic FC.

After the halftime break, it was the Roughnecks who started the most positively, controlling more of the possession in the first 20 minutes of the half.

Ochoa headed over the crossbar on a corner kick in the 49th minute.  Later, David Abidor got free down the wing, and his hard, right-footed shot forced a save from Fernandez.

Tulsa appeared to go back in front in the 61st minute.  Raymond Lee placed a long cross directly into the path of Mata who settled and beat Fernandez for what looked to be his second goal of the night, but the assistant’s flag went up for an offside call.

The chances kept coming as the unlucky Velazco nearly put the Monarchs in front in the 68th minute.  For the second time in the match, his shot bounced off the post to keep the score level.

Mata made a bid for Tulsa to claim the full three points late in the match.  In the first minute of four minutes of stoppage time, he got free for a shot from close range, but his effort went over the bar.

Just moments later, Feener dove to his left to keep a deflected shot from Ramirez out of the goal.

It would be the final effort of the night, as TRFC looked to attack at the other end, the referee blew the final whistle.

The draw came against a Monarchs side that had five starters who are on Real Salt Lake’s MLS roster.  It leaves the Roughnecks with 19 points on the season. They will be back in action next Saturday night, September 10, when they travel to Kansas City to face the Swope Park Rangers.

Tulsa will close the season with two straight home matches at ONEOK Field, September 21 against the Rangers and September 24 against Sacramento Republic FC.

The Tulsa Roughnecks put up a strong fight Saturday night in the final edition of the 2016 Black Gold Derby, but the end result was a 1-0 loss to the Oklahoma City Energy at Taft Stadium.  The lone goal of the match came on a controversial sequence in first-half injury time.

Match Photos courtesy of Lori Scholl

The win allowed the Energy to sweep the season series between the Oklahoma rivals.  The loss for the Roughnecks dropped their season record to 5-17-3.

Tulsa got a strong performance in goal from Jake Feener.  Making his first appearance since June 17, Feener was officially credited with only two saves in the match, but he made a number of outstanding plays in the first 45 minutes of play to deny OKC a first goal.

The first good chance of the match came from the Roughnecks.  In the 16th minute, Bryce Taylor dribbled past a pair of defenders on a run down the left wing, but his rolling shot was saved by Energy goalkeeper Cody Laurendi.

Seconds later at the other end, Feener was called into service for the first time with a diving save to deny Michael Thomas.

Feener was at it again just three minutes later, making another big save to keep the match scoreless. 

In the 30th minute, Fenner benefited from the woodwork as a header from the Energy’s Kalen Ryden caromed off the post.

The Tulsa Roughnecks put up a strong fight Saturday night in the final edition of the 2016 Black Gold Derby, but the end result was a 1-0 loss to the Oklahoma City Energy at Taft Stadium.  The lone goal of the match came on a controversial sequence in first-half injury time.

Match Photos courtesy of Lori Scholl

The win allowed the Energy to sweep the season series between the Oklahoma rivals.  The loss for the Roughnecks dropped their season record to 5-17-3.

Tulsa got a strong performance in goal from Jake Feener.  Making his first appearance since June 17, Feener was officially credited with only two saves in the match, but he made a number of outstanding plays in the first 45 minutes of play to deny OKC a first goal.

The first good chance of the match came from the Roughnecks.  In the 16th minute, Bryce Taylor dribbled past a pair of defenders on a run down the left wing, but his rolling shot was saved by Energy goalkeeper Cody Laurendi.

Seconds later at the other end, Feener was called into service for the first time with a diving save to deny Michael Thomas.

Feener was at it again just three minutes later, making another big save to keep the match scoreless. 

In the 30th minute, Fenner benefited from the woodwork as a header from the Energy’s Kalen Ryden caromed off the post.

The entertaining play continued as the Roughnecks threatened again two minutes later.  Sammy Ochoa was free to head a cross into the goal mouth, but Cyprian Hedrick cleared the danger.

When Feener denied another header off an Energy corner kick in the 41st minute, it looked as if the match would head to the break scoreless.

The entertaining play continued as the Roughnecks threatened again two minutes later.  Sammy Ochoa was free to head a cross into the goal mouth, but Cyprian Hedrick cleared the danger.

When Feener denied another header off an Energy corner kick in the 41st minute, it looked as if the match would head to the break scoreless.

After 2 minutes 15 seconds of an expected 2 minutes of added time, the referee elected to not blow the halftime whistle.  The decision proved costly for the Roughnecks as seconds later a chip over the TRFC backline found a wide open Danni Konig.  Tulsa defenders appealed for an offside call, but the assistant’s flag stayed down.  Konig’s chip shot was cleared off the line by a sliding Devin Morgan, but the clearance went directly to Wojciech Wojcik who converted the easy finish with basically the final kick of the half to give OKC the important 1-0 lead.

The second half continued a frustrating goalless run for the Roughnecks as they failed to find an equalizer.  Kaleem looked a constant threat down the right wing, and Cristian Mata caused concern for the OKC defense when he came on as a substitute in the 76th minute.

In the dying seconds, defender Iarfhlaith Davoren found himself in space just inside the penalty area, but his left-footed blast caromed off a defender.

When the final whistle sounded, it marked the fourth straight match without a goal for Tulsa.

The Roughnecks will look to end that streak when they return to action next Saturday night, September 3, to face the Real Monarchs in Salt Lake City.  The Monarchs defeated TRFC 1-0 at ONEOK Field back on April 9 when Ochoa was given a straight red card in the first half.  Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00pm CDT at Rio Tinto Stadium.

After 2 minutes 15 seconds of an expected 2 minutes of added time, the referee elected to not blow the halftime whistle.  The decision proved costly for the Roughnecks as seconds later a chip over the TRFC backline found a wide open Danni Konig.  Tulsa defenders appealed for an offside call, but the assistant’s flag stayed down.  Konig’s chip shot was cleared off the line by a sliding Devin Morgan, but the clearance went directly to Wojciech Wojcik who converted the easy finish with basically the final kick of the half to give OKC the important 1-0 lead.

The second half continued a frustrating goalless run for the Roughnecks as they failed to find an equalizer.  Kaleem looked a constant threat down the right wing, and Cristian Mata caused concern for the OKC defense when he came on as a substitute in the 76th minute.

In the dying seconds, defender Iarfhlaith Davoren found himself in space just inside the penalty area, but his left-footed blast caromed off a defender.

When the final whistle sounded, it marked the fourth straight match without a goal for Tulsa.

The Roughnecks will look to end that streak when they return to action next Saturday night, September 3, to face the Real Monarchs in Salt Lake City.  The Monarchs defeated TRFC 1-0 at ONEOK Field back on April 9 when Ochoa was given a straight red card in the first half.  Kickoff is scheduled for 8:00pm CDT at Rio Tinto Stadium.

Match Recap by John Tranchina

The recent struggles endured by the Tulsa Roughnecks FC continued Saturday night, as the Roughnecks lost 2-0 to the Oklahoma City Energy FC in front of 4,170 at ONEOK Field.  The Energy wrapped up the season series between the two teams with the victory.  There is one match remaining, next Saturday night at OKC’s Taft Stadium, in what supporters have dubbed the Black Gold Derby.

Match Photos by Rich Crimi

“It’s two years in a row, it’s tough to swallow,” TRFC Head Coach David Irving said of dropping the season series to the Energy. “We were in the game, it was just a couple of mistakes, again. It’s the same story, I feel. Things just aren’t going our way at the moment. Credit to our boys, they worked hard, they showed that we have something, but we just couldn’t prevail.”

The win lifted Oklahoma City (9-3-10) into a four-way tie for first place in the USL's Western Conference.

Meanwhile, with just six games remaining, and only two left at home, Tulsa appears sure to miss the playoffs and is seven points out of second-to-last place in the West. It’s clear the toll of a frustrating season is wearing on them.

“No excuses,” Irving said. “It’s hasn’t been the season that we wanted. I’m accountable, I’m responsible, and I hold up my end of that. It’s not what we expected. I think we have better players than last year, but we’re not going to be a better team than last year. It’s just disappointing.”

“It’s not good enough,” added Roughnecks striker Sammy Ochoa, who leads the team and ranks tied for fifth in the USL with 10 goals, although he has just one in the last six outings.

Match Recap by John Tranchina

The recent struggles endured by the Tulsa Roughnecks FC continued Saturday night, as the Roughnecks lost 2-0 to the Oklahoma City Energy FC in front of 4,170 at ONEOK Field.  The Energy wrapped up the season series between the two teams with the victory.  There is one match remaining, next Saturday night at OKC’s Taft Stadium, in what supporters have dubbed the Black Gold Derby.

Match Photos by Rich Crimi

“It’s two years in a row, it’s tough to swallow,” TRFC Head Coach David Irving said of dropping the season series to the Energy. “We were in the game, it was just a couple of mistakes, again. It’s the same story, I feel. Things just aren’t going our way at the moment. Credit to our boys, they worked hard, they showed that we have something, but we just couldn’t prevail.”

The win lifted Oklahoma City (9-3-10) into a four-way tie for first place in the USL’s Western Conference.

Meanwhile, with just six games remaining, and only two left at home, Tulsa appears sure to miss the playoffs and is seven points out of second-to-last place in the West. It’s clear the toll of a frustrating season is wearing on them.

“No excuses,” Irving said. “It’s hasn’t been the season that we wanted. I’m accountable, I’m responsible, and I hold up my end of that. It’s not what we expected. I think we have better players than last year, but we’re not going to be a better team than last year. It’s just disappointing.”

“It’s not good enough,” added Roughnecks striker Sammy Ochoa, who leads the team and ranks tied for fifth in the USL with 10 goals, although he has just one in the last six outings.

“It’s not the first time, it’s been going on the whole season. I don’t know what’s going on – we work hard at practice, we do the right things at practice, and come game time, we don’t execute, we make dumb mistakes. It’s the same story again. We have just got to keep working at it, and hopefully we stop making mistakes and finish the season off strong.”

The Energy took control of the match early, jumping out to a 1-0 lead just seven minutes in, on Timo Pitter’s second goal of the season. After a Tulsa defender deflected an OKC pass into the middle, the ball ricocheted out to Pitter, and he drilled a 28-yard blast into the upper right corner, off the hand of goalkeeper Alex Mangels.

It was the Energy’s first goal in five games, a stretch in which they went 0-1-3, dating back to the last time these teams met, a 3-0 OKC victory on July 23.

Tulsa’s best opportunity in the first half came in the 25th minute, when Henri boomed a 25-yard shot that forced Energy goalkeeper Cody Laurendi, who entered the contest leading the USL with a 0.63 goals-against average, to make a lunging save.

“It’s not the first time, it’s been going on the whole season. I don’t know what’s going on – we work hard at practice, we do the right things at practice, and come game time, we don’t execute, we make dumb mistakes. It’s the same story again. We have just got to keep working at it, and hopefully we stop making mistakes and finish the season off strong.”

The Energy took control of the match early, jumping out to a 1-0 lead just seven minutes in, on Timo Pitter’s second goal of the season. After a Tulsa defender deflected an OKC pass into the middle, the ball ricocheted out to Pitter, and he drilled a 28-yard blast into the upper right corner, off the hand of goalkeeper Alex Mangels.

It was the Energy’s first goal in five games, a stretch in which they went 0-1-3, dating back to the last time these teams met, a 3-0 OKC victory on July 23.

Tulsa’s best opportunity in the first half came in the 25th minute, when Henri boomed a 25-yard shot that forced Energy goalkeeper Cody Laurendi, who entered the contest leading the USL with a 0.63 goals-against average, to make a lunging save.

The Roughnecks had another scoring chance in the 58th minute when Jasson Ramos Carpio drilled a free kick from 30 yards out over the wall, but Laurendi made another nice save. He finished with five stops total to earn his 11th shutout of the year.

Tulsa dodged a bullet in the 62nd minute when an apparent goal by Wojciech Wojcik was waved off by an offside call, but Oklahoma City came right back to seal the victory with a goal two minutes later. Pitter delivered a feed from the right wing to the far side of the penalty area, where Danni Konig leapt up for a header from five yards out that beat Mangels just inside the left post.

“We got away with that (offside call), then two minutes later, (they score),” Irving said. “Usual story. Same as in Colorado (a 1-0 loss on Aug. 11), we give up a penalty, we save it, and two minutes later, we give a goal away.”

The Roughnecks applied considerable pressure over the final 15 minutes or so, searching for a way back into the contest, but they were unable to generate a legitimate scoring chance the rest of the way.

Irving acknowledged he felt bad for disappointing the fans, many of whom were kids that received free soccer balls upon entering the stadium. With the next four matches on the road, TRFC won’t play again at ONEOK Field until Sept. 21 against the Swope Park Rangers.

“It’s a great night to see all these kids out here with the balls, all the players are out here.  We’ve got to keep their chins up and keep going,” Irving said. “We have two (home) games left, and we’re on the road for a month now. No excuses. I’m to blame, the results have gone where they’ve gone, I’m a big boy and I understand that. Our fans are great, we’ve got a great club.  It’s very disappointing.”

The Roughnecks had another scoring chance in the 58th minute when Jasson Ramos Carpio drilled a free kick from 30 yards out over the wall, but Laurendi made another nice save. He finished with five stops total to earn his 11th shutout of the year.

Tulsa dodged a bullet in the 62nd minute when an apparent goal by Wojciech Wojcik was waved off by an offside call, but Oklahoma City came right back to seal the victory with a goal two minutes later. Pitter delivered a feed from the right wing to the far side of the penalty area, where Danni Konig leapt up for a header from five yards out that beat Mangels just inside the left post.

“We got away with that (offside call), then two minutes later, (they score),” Irving said. “Usual story. Same as in Colorado (a 1-0 loss on Aug. 11), we give up a penalty, we save it, and two minutes later, we give a goal away.”

The Roughnecks applied considerable pressure over the final 15 minutes or so, searching for a way back into the contest, but they were unable to generate a legitimate scoring chance the rest of the way.

Irving acknowledged he felt bad for disappointing the fans, many of whom were kids that received free soccer balls upon entering the stadium. With the next four matches on the road, TRFC won’t play again at ONEOK Field until Sept. 21 against the Swope Park Rangers.

“It’s a great night to see all these kids out here with the balls, all the players are out here.  We’ve got to keep their chins up and keep going,” Irving said. “We have two (home) games left, and we’re on the road for a month now. No excuses. I’m to blame, the results have gone where they’ve gone, I’m a big boy and I understand that. Our fans are great, we’ve got a great club.  It’s very disappointing.”

Match Recap by John Tranchina

The second half woes continue for the Tulsa Roughnecks FC. 
 

For the third match in a row, Tulsa played a strong first half, then surrendered game-altering goals within the first 15 minutes of the second half en route to a disappointing loss.

On Thursday night, it was the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros who took advantage, scoring goals in the 52nd and 59th minutes before adding three more in the final 12 to hand the Roughnecks a 5-0 defeat in front of 2,704 at ONEOK Field.

Following a 3-2-1 stretch through July, Tulsa (5-15-3) has sunk a full 12 points back of Arizona United SC for the Western Conference's eighth and final playoff spot with just seven contests remaining.

Isaiah Schafer Photo by Rich Crimi

"We had a couple of good chances in the first half, but it was a tale of two halves," said Roughnecks coach David Irving. "You wouldn't think we were the same team in the second half, and that's been the last three games. Whatever we do, it just doesn't seem to fit. It's disappointing. If you look at the last three games, that we've lost in the first 10-15 minutes of the second half, it's been breakdowns, mental, just not ready. That's unacceptable."

Against Orange County on Aug. 4 at home, Tulsa entered the second half leading 1-0, but surrendered goals in the 48th and 53rd minutes, and wound up losing 2-1.

On Aug. 11, in their previous outing, the Roughnecks were tied 0-0 after 45 minutes with the Western Conference's first-place team, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, but gave up the contest's only goal in the 60th minute, falling 1-0.

Match Recap by John Tranchina

The second half woes continue for the Tulsa Roughnecks FC. 
 

For the third match in a row, Tulsa played a strong first half, then surrendered game-altering goals within the first 15 minutes of the second half en route to a disappointing loss.

On Thursday night, it was the Rio Grande Valley FC Toros who took advantage, scoring goals in the 52nd and 59th minutes before adding three more in the final 12 to hand the Roughnecks a 5-0 defeat in front of 2,704 at ONEOK Field.

Following a 3-2-1 stretch through July, Tulsa (5-15-3) has sunk a full 12 points back of Arizona United SC for the Western Conference’s eighth and final playoff spot with just seven contests remaining.

Isaiah Schafer Photo by Rich Crimi

“We had a couple of good chances in the first half, but it was a tale of two halves,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “You wouldn’t think we were the same team in the second half, and that’s been the last three games. Whatever we do, it just doesn’t seem to fit. It’s disappointing. If you look at the last three games, that we’ve lost in the first 10-15 minutes of the second half, it’s been breakdowns, mental, just not ready. That’s unacceptable.”

Against Orange County on Aug. 4 at home, Tulsa entered the second half leading 1-0, but surrendered goals in the 48th and 53rd minutes, and wound up losing 2-1.

On Aug. 11, in their previous outing, the Roughnecks were tied 0-0 after 45 minutes with the Western Conference’s first-place team, the Colorado Springs Switchbacks FC, but gave up the contest’s only goal in the 60th minute, falling 1-0.

And the second half meltdowns, while more pronounced recently, have actually been a year-long phenomenon, as the Roughnecks have been outscored after halftime this season by a 32-11 margin.

Edgar Espinoza photo (left) by Lori Scholl

It's perhaps even more frustrating because coming out better after the break is something the team has been trying to emphasize.

"We try to focus on that right now," said forward Cristian Mata, who had Tulsa's best opportunity, in the 16th minute. "We said the first 15 minutes (after halftime), 'Let's just get through them. The longer we stay in the game, the longer we have a chance of winning the game.' Unfortunately, things didn't go our way. Five is a little too much, that was a tough one to take."

The win extended Rio Grande Valley's unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4), a stretch in which it has not allowed a single goal against while scoring 15. The Toros (9-5-9), who moved to within one point of first place in the West with 36 points, have not surrendered a goal in 630 minutes.

It was six minutes after halftime when the game began to turn against the Roughnecks. In an attempt to deny RGV's Ruben Luna a clear breakaway, Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels dove out and took Luna down inside the penalty area, causing the officials to award the Toros a penalty kick.

It was the 52nd minute when Emilio Garcia stepped up to the dot and drilled a low shot inside the left goalpost, just past the diving Mangels.

Alex Mangels photo (right) by Rich Crimi

And the second half meltdowns, while more pronounced recently, have actually been a year-long phenomenon, as the Roughnecks have been outscored after halftime this season by a 32-11 margin.

Edgar Espinoza photo (left) by Lori Scholl

It’s perhaps even more frustrating because coming out better after the break is something the team has been trying to emphasize.

“We try to focus on that right now,” said forward Cristian Mata, who had Tulsa’s best opportunity, in the 16th minute. “We said the first 15 minutes (after halftime), ‘Let’s just get through them. The longer we stay in the game, the longer we have a chance of winning the game.’ Unfortunately, things didn’t go our way. Five is a little too much, that was a tough one to take.”

The win extended Rio Grande Valley’s unbeaten streak to seven games (3-0-4), a stretch in which it has not allowed a single goal against while scoring 15. The Toros (9-5-9), who moved to within one point of first place in the West with 36 points, have not surrendered a goal in 630 minutes.

It was six minutes after halftime when the game began to turn against the Roughnecks. In an attempt to deny RGV’s Ruben Luna a clear breakaway, Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels dove out and took Luna down inside the penalty area, causing the officials to award the Toros a penalty kick.

It was the 52nd minute when Emilio Garcia stepped up to the dot and drilled a low shot inside the left goalpost, just past the diving Mangels.

Alex Mangels photo (right) by Rich Crimi

Seven minutes later, it was 2-0. Rob Lovejoy fed a pass from the left wing across the goalmouth to Luna about 3 yards out off the right post, and Mangels made a nice sliding stop. The rebound bounced right back to Luna, though, and he chipped it past the flailing Mangels, just inside the post.

Pushing to get back into the game, Tulsa had its best opportunity of the second half in the 76th minute, when Jasson Ramos Carpio curled a free kick from 20 yards out towards the lower left side of the net, but Rio Grande Valley goalkeeper Calle Brown made a nice diving save.

Things really started to unravel after that, as Dzenan Catic scored just two minutes later to push the deficit to 3-0. Mangels came out about 10 yards to punch away a pass attempt, but the ball popped high in the air and landed on the foot of RGV's Jose Memo Rodriguez about 10 feet away. Rodriguez fired a point-blank shot at the empty net, but Tulsa defender Devin Morgan stepped in front and blocked it off the goal line. Unfortunately, the ball ricocheted right out to Catic, who drilled a 12-yard shot into the open right side of the net.

"With the penalty, within 10-15 minutes, we're 2-nil down again," Irving said. "Then we try to change it, we're chasing the game a little bit, and the team that scores the next goal is usually going to win it. If we had got one and got it to 2-1… But they get it and the game's over."

Irving acknowledged that Mangels had a difficult night at the office. Despite allowing five goals, though, the 23-year-old rookie out of the University of California-Berkeley still made six saves, increasing his USL-leading total to 91 on the season.

"Alex didn't play very well tonight," Irving said. "It wasn't his best performance. He's young and he's got to learn, but that's really disappointing."

The Toros made it 4-0 in the 82nd minute on Eric Bird's fifth goal of the season. Morgan's clearing attempt, a header from about 10 yards out, lofted up in the air to Bird, who volleyed it home from about 20 yards out.

Catic collected his second of the night and fourth of the year four minutes later, intercepting Morgan's pass back to Mangels, and chipping in a sharp angle shot from about 3 yards out on the right side.

Early on, RGV controlled the ball for much of the first 10-12 minutes, but it was the Roughnecks who generated the match's first legitimate scoring chance in the 16th minute. After receiving a quick feed from Sammy Ochoa, Mata cut into the middle and boomed an 8-yard shot, but Brown slid out and made a sparkling save.

Tulsa gained some momentum from that and applied significant pressure for most of the next 20-plus minutes.

Rio Grande Valley nearly took the lead in the 44th minute when Lovejoy sliced through several defenders into the middle and fired an 18-yard blast that appeared headed for the upper right corner before Mangels made a lunging stop.

"Unfortunately, the team didn't come out the same way as we did in the first half," Mata said. "I had a good one in the first half and that could have changed it. Unlucky I didn't get it."

The Roughnecks don't have a lot of time to feel despondent, though, because rival Oklahoma City Energy FC will be visiting ONEOK Field on Saturday night in the third installment of the Black Gold Derby, a game which will feature special edition Roughneck soccer balls handed out to the first 1,000 fans.

OKC has won the first two matches (of four total) between the clubs, so Tulsa needs a win to have a shot at earning the big wrench trophy. The Energy (8-3-10) sit sixth in the Western Conference, but just three points back of first place.

"We got to dust ourselves off pretty quick and get ready for OKC on Saturday night," Irving said. "We've got seven games to go, we're playing for pride, and the (Derby) at the minute. We'll never say die, but I know the boys are disappointed because we were in that game and the second half… It's very disappointing.

"We'll lick our wounds a little bit, but we need some better performances from individuals. We've got to keep battling. It's been a long season, we've just got to keep going. I feel bad for our fans, they support us and I know that we disappoint them. It's not good enough, that's the bottom line."

Seven minutes later, it was 2-0. Rob Lovejoy fed a pass from the left wing across the goalmouth to Luna about 3 yards out off the right post, and Mangels made a nice sliding stop. The rebound bounced right back to Luna, though, and he chipped it past the flailing Mangels, just inside the post.

Pushing to get back into the game, Tulsa had its best opportunity of the second half in the 76th minute, when Jasson Ramos Carpio curled a free kick from 20 yards out towards the lower left side of the net, but Rio Grande Valley goalkeeper Calle Brown made a nice diving save.

Things really started to unravel after that, as Dzenan Catic scored just two minutes later to push the deficit to 3-0. Mangels came out about 10 yards to punch away a pass attempt, but the ball popped high in the air and landed on the foot of RGV’s Jose Memo Rodriguez about 10 feet away. Rodriguez fired a point-blank shot at the empty net, but Tulsa defender Devin Morgan stepped in front and blocked it off the goal line. Unfortunately, the ball ricocheted right out to Catic, who drilled a 12-yard shot into the open right side of the net.

“With the penalty, within 10-15 minutes, we’re 2-nil down again,” Irving said. “Then we try to change it, we’re chasing the game a little bit, and the team that scores the next goal is usually going to win it. If we had got one and got it to 2-1… But they get it and the game’s over.”

Irving acknowledged that Mangels had a difficult night at the office. Despite allowing five goals, though, the 23-year-old rookie out of the University of California-Berkeley still made six saves, increasing his USL-leading total to 91 on the season.

“Alex didn’t play very well tonight,” Irving said. “It wasn’t his best performance. He’s young and he’s got to learn, but that’s really disappointing.”

The Toros made it 4-0 in the 82nd minute on Eric Bird’s fifth goal of the season. Morgan’s clearing attempt, a header from about 10 yards out, lofted up in the air to Bird, who volleyed it home from about 20 yards out.

Catic collected his second of the night and fourth of the year four minutes later, intercepting Morgan’s pass back to Mangels, and chipping in a sharp angle shot from about 3 yards out on the right side.

Early on, RGV controlled the ball for much of the first 10-12 minutes, but it was the Roughnecks who generated the match’s first legitimate scoring chance in the 16th minute. After receiving a quick feed from Sammy Ochoa, Mata cut into the middle and boomed an 8-yard shot, but Brown slid out and made a sparkling save.

Tulsa gained some momentum from that and applied significant pressure for most of the next 20-plus minutes.

Rio Grande Valley nearly took the lead in the 44th minute when Lovejoy sliced through several defenders into the middle and fired an 18-yard blast that appeared headed for the upper right corner before Mangels made a lunging stop.

“Unfortunately, the team didn’t come out the same way as we did in the first half,” Mata said. “I had a good one in the first half and that could have changed it. Unlucky I didn’t get it.”

The Roughnecks don’t have a lot of time to feel despondent, though, because rival Oklahoma City Energy FC will be visiting ONEOK Field on Saturday night in the third installment of the Black Gold Derby, a game which will feature special edition Roughneck soccer balls handed out to the first 1,000 fans.

OKC has won the first two matches (of four total) between the clubs, so Tulsa needs a win to have a shot at earning the big wrench trophy. The Energy (8-3-10) sit sixth in the Western Conference, but just three points back of first place.

“We got to dust ourselves off pretty quick and get ready for OKC on Saturday night,” Irving said. “We’ve got seven games to go, we’re playing for pride, and the (Derby) at the minute. We’ll never say die, but I know the boys are disappointed because we were in that game and the second half… It’s very disappointing.

“We’ll lick our wounds a little bit, but we need some better performances from individuals. We’ve got to keep battling. It’s been a long season, we’ve just got to keep going. I feel bad for our fans, they support us and I know that we disappoint them. It’s not good enough, that’s the bottom line.”

The Tulsa Roughnecks were in position to possibly pick up a valuable road result Thursday night in Colorado Springs, but it was the Switchbacks who found the back of the net in the second half and produced a narrow 1-0 victory.  The result was the first-ever loss for the Roughnecks to Colorado Springs, and it vaulted the Switchbacks to the top of the table in the USL’s Western Conference.

It was a disappointing result for the Roughnecks who played well in the Colorado altitude.

Tulsa started the match on the front foot and had a chance to take an early lead.  Only six minutes into the game, Cristian Mata got free down the right wing and delivered a cross to an unmarked Gustavo Villalobos, but the midfielder’s free header went wide of the far post.

A minute later, a shot from Villalobos was snagged by Switchbacks’ keeper Devala Gorrick.

Photos courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing

Alex Mangels was called into action in the 16th minute, but a rolling shot from Martin Maybin resulted in an easy save for the Tulsa goalkeeper.

The Tulsa Roughnecks were in position to possibly pick up a valuable road result Thursday night in Colorado Springs, but it was the Switchbacks who found the back of the net in the second half and produced a narrow 1-0 victory.  The result was the first-ever loss for the Roughnecks to Colorado Springs, and it vaulted the Switchbacks to the top of the table in the USL’s Western Conference.

It was a disappointing result for the Roughnecks who played well in the Colorado altitude.

Tulsa started the match on the front foot and had a chance to take an early lead.  Only six minutes into the game, Cristian Mata got free down the right wing and delivered a cross to an unmarked Gustavo Villalobos, but the midfielder’s free header went wide of the far post.

A minute later, a shot from Villalobos was snagged by Switchbacks’ keeper Devala Gorrick.

Photos courtesy of Isaiah J. Downing

Alex Mangels was called into action in the 16th minute, but a rolling shot from Martin Maybin resulted in an easy save for the Tulsa goalkeeper.

Just past the half hour mark, Mata had an opportunity to open the scoring on a sequence very similar to his opening goal in Arizona two weeks ago.  The Roughnecks forward got past his defender to run onto a delivery, but his chip sailed over an onrushing Gorrick but over the crossbar, keeping the match scoreless.

After the halftime break, it was the Switchbacks who began on the attack as Mangels was forced to make a save on Miguel Gonzalez just two minutes after the restart.

In the 50th minute, Colorado Springs was handed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Tulsa defender Edgar Espinoza was ruled to have fouled in the penalty box.  But, Mangels was again up to the task, diving to his left to save Maybin’s penalty kick.

Minutes later, the Roughnecks appealed for a penalty of their own as Sammy Ochoa went down in the box after a slide tackle, but the appeal was denied and play carried on.

On the hour mark, the Switchbacks finally broke the deadlock.  Tulsa midfielder Carlos Martinez lost possession in midfield, and Colorado Springs quickly countered as Taeseong Kim sent a cross into the box.  Conor Doyle did not make clean contact with the delivery, but his effort still eluded Mangels and rolled into the corner of the net to give the Switchbacks the 1-0 lead.

In the final half hour, the Roughnecks turned to their bench, bringing on Bryce Taylor, Jasson Ramos Carpio and Kaleem in search of an equalizer, but it would not come.

The best chance came from Taylor, who was left in space at the top of the penalty box in the 75th minute, but his right-footed shot went directly at Gorrick.

The Roughnecks spent the final two minutes of what turned out to be four minutes of stoppage time on the attack before the final whistle blew on a frustrating night.

The result improved the Switchbacks’ home record this season to 7-1-3.  In two years of USL play, the Switchbacks have lost only four times at home in the 6,000-foot altitude in Colorado Springs.

The Roughnecks will now have a week off before returning to action at ONEOK Field.  Tulsa will host Rio Grande Valley on Thursday, August 18 before hosting Oklahoma City in the Black Gold Derby on Saturday, August 20.  Kickoff for both matches is scheduled for 7:30pm.

Just past the half hour mark, Mata had an opportunity to open the scoring on a sequence very similar to his opening goal in Arizona two weeks ago.  The Roughnecks forward got past his defender to run onto a delivery, but his chip sailed over an onrushing Gorrick but over the crossbar, keeping the match scoreless.

After the halftime break, it was the Switchbacks who began on the attack as Mangels was forced to make a save on Miguel Gonzalez just two minutes after the restart.

In the 50th minute, Colorado Springs was handed a golden opportunity to take the lead when Tulsa defender Edgar Espinoza was ruled to have fouled in the penalty box.  But, Mangels was again up to the task, diving to his left to save Maybin’s penalty kick.

Minutes later, the Roughnecks appealed for a penalty of their own as Sammy Ochoa went down in the box after a slide tackle, but the appeal was denied and play carried on.

On the hour mark, the Switchbacks finally broke the deadlock.  Tulsa midfielder Carlos Martinez lost possession in midfield, and Colorado Springs quickly countered as Taeseong Kim sent a cross into the box.  Conor Doyle did not make clean contact with the delivery, but his effort still eluded Mangels and rolled into the corner of the net to give the Switchbacks the 1-0 lead.

In the final half hour, the Roughnecks turned to their bench, bringing on Bryce Taylor, Jasson Ramos Carpio and Kaleem in search of an equalizer, but it would not come.

The best chance came from Taylor, who was left in space at the top of the penalty box in the 75th minute, but his right-footed shot went directly at Gorrick.

The Roughnecks spent the final two minutes of what turned out to be four minutes of stoppage time on the attack before the final whistle blew on a frustrating night.

The result improved the Switchbacks’ home record this season to 7-1-3.  In two years of USL play, the Switchbacks have lost only four times at home in the 6,000-foot altitude in Colorado Springs.

The Roughnecks will now have a week off before returning to action at ONEOK Field.  Tulsa will host Rio Grande Valley on Thursday, August 18 before hosting Oklahoma City in the Black Gold Derby on Saturday, August 20.  Kickoff for both matches is scheduled for 7:30pm.