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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.

Match Report by John Tranchina

Less than a week after pulling out a victory in stoppage time, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC nearly employed similar late-game heroics, but this time, Cristian Mata’s attempt for the game-tying goal didn’t go in.

In the end, Tulsa ended up falling 2-1 to Orange County Blues FC in front of 3,516 at ONEOK Field.

Match Report by John Tranchina

Less than a week after pulling out a victory in stoppage time, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC nearly employed similar late-game heroics, but this time, Cristian Mata’s attempt for the game-tying goal didn’t go in.

In the end, Tulsa ended up falling 2-1 to Orange County Blues FC in front of 3,516 at ONEOK Field.

Tulsa jumped on top early, taking a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the match on Sammy Ochoa’s team-leading 10th goal of the season (tied for fifth in the USL), but was unable to sustain the advantage.

Sammy Ochoa celebration photo by Lori Scholl 

After withstanding Orange County’s offensive pressure throughout most of the first half, the Roughnecks surrendered two goals in the first eight minutes after halftime.

Then they had the golden opportunity to tie it in the 90th minute, but the shot by Mata, who scored twice last Saturday to defeat Arizona United SC 2-1, was deflected over the crossbar by a Blues defender.

“It was very disappointing, I thought we should have gotten something out of the game,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “We beat ourselves again. It was 10 minutes in the game, right after halftime. That’s what we talked about at halftime, ‘Let’s be ready,’ and we came out a little flat. It’s very disappointing. We battled, we tried, it just wasn’t good enough. Ten minutes in the game, that was the difference.”  

The loss leaves Tulsa (5-13-3) in last place in the Western Conference, 10 points back of Saint Louis FC for the eighth and final playoff spot. With just nine games remaining, time is running out to make a late push for the post-season, despite a 2-1-1 record in their previous four matches.

While that may appear to be a long shot at this point, that remains the team’s objective.

Tulsa jumped on top early, taking a 1-0 lead just six minutes into the match on Sammy Ochoa’s team-leading 10th goal of the season (tied for fifth in the USL), but was unable to sustain the advantage.

Sammy Ochoa celebration photo by Lori Scholl 

After withstanding Orange County’s offensive pressure throughout most of the first half, the Roughnecks surrendered two goals in the first eight minutes after halftime.

Then they had the golden opportunity to tie it in the 90th minute, but the shot by Mata, who scored twice last Saturday to defeat Arizona United SC 2-1, was deflected over the crossbar by a Blues defender.

“It was very disappointing, I thought we should have gotten something out of the game,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “We beat ourselves again. It was 10 minutes in the game, right after halftime. That’s what we talked about at halftime, ‘Let’s be ready,’ and we came out a little flat. It’s very disappointing. We battled, we tried, it just wasn’t good enough. Ten minutes in the game, that was the difference.”  

The loss leaves Tulsa (5-13-3) in last place in the Western Conference, 10 points back of Saint Louis FC for the eighth and final playoff spot. With just nine games remaining, time is running out to make a late push for the post-season, despite a 2-1-1 record in their previous four matches.

While that may appear to be a long shot at this point, that remains the team’s objective.

“We came into the game thinking that there’s still that possible chance of getting into the playoffs,” Mata said. “Today made it a little tougher, but there’s still nine games, so we’ve got to make the most of those.”

Cristian Mata photo by Brooke Carroll

The win actually lifts Orange County (8-9-4), who had been 1-3-1 in its previous five outings, into a tie with Saint Louis for that final post-season berth.

The Roughnecks started out strong, going ahead on Ochoa’s goal. Mata, the reigning USL Player of the Week, set up the play with a nifty pass from the left wing across the goalmouth to the charging Ochoa, who drilled it into the open right side of the net from 10 yards out.

TRFC got a boost of momentum from the goal, but as the first half wore on, Orange County gradually began to take over more of the territorial advantage, applying considerable pressure on the Roughnecks.

The Blues out-shot Tulsa 9-4 in the first half, forcing Roughnecks goalkeeper Alex Mangels to make three saves in the opening 45 minutes, while the only Tulsa shot on goal was Ochoa’s tally.

Despite that, TRFC successfully weathered the storm and did not allow any prime scoring chances.

But just three minutes after halftime, Orange County broke through on a spectacular goal by Richard Chaplow, who also started the play. Chaplow fed a short pass to Mats Bjurman, whose slick backwards flick pass enableb Chaplow to cut inside from the right side of the penalty area, and his shot from 15 yards sailed past Mangels, perfectly placed into the upper left corner, ricocheting in high off the post, just under the crossbar.

“We came into the game thinking that there’s still that possible chance of getting into the playoffs,” Mata said. “Today made it a little tougher, but there’s still nine games, so we’ve got to make the most of those.”

Cristian Mata photo by Brooke Carroll

The win actually lifts Orange County (8-9-4), who had been 1-3-1 in its previous five outings, into a tie with Saint Louis for that final post-season berth.

The Roughnecks started out strong, going ahead on Ochoa’s goal. Mata, the reigning USL Player of the Week, set up the play with a nifty pass from the left wing across the goalmouth to the charging Ochoa, who drilled it into the open right side of the net from 10 yards out.

TRFC got a boost of momentum from the goal, but as the first half wore on, Orange County gradually began to take over more of the territorial advantage, applying considerable pressure on the Roughnecks.

The Blues out-shot Tulsa 9-4 in the first half, forcing Roughnecks goalkeeper Alex Mangels to make three saves in the opening 45 minutes, while the only Tulsa shot on goal was Ochoa’s tally.

Despite that, TRFC successfully weathered the storm and did not allow any prime scoring chances.

But just three minutes after halftime, Orange County broke through on a spectacular goal by Richard Chaplow, who also started the play. Chaplow fed a short pass to Mats Bjurman, whose slick backwards flick pass enableb Chaplow to cut inside from the right side of the penalty area, and his shot from 15 yards sailed past Mangels, perfectly placed into the upper left corner, ricocheting in high off the post, just under the crossbar.

Four minutes later, it appeared that the Blues took a 2-1 lead after Kwame Watson-Siriboe’s header beat Mangels, but it was waved off by the official due to a foul called on the play.

Less than a minute after that, in the 53rd minute, Orange County did strike again. Trevin Caesar pounced on a weak back pass from the Tulsa defense, stealing it and chipping it ahead. As Mangels and another Roughneck converged on the ball, Caesar managed to slip it past both of them, and then trotted into the box to deposit it into the empty net.

Brady Ballew photo by Rich Crimi

“Okay, the guy comes inside, hits the post, it could have gone anywhere, it goes in, that’s the way things have been going,” Irving said of Chaplow’s goal. “And then the second one, it was a calamity of errors. A bad pass back, the goalkeeper’s nowhere to be found and it’s in. It’s very disappointing.”

With time winding down, Mata had a chance for the equalizer. He received a nice pass from Ochoa and boomed a shot from the right side of the penalty area, about 15 yards out, that appeared to be heading in before Watson-Siriboe re-directed harmlessly it over the crossbar.

“Sammy played a good ball in, I got it right out of the air, it looked like it was going in, but unluckily, the defender got a clearance on it at the last moment,” Mata said of the play. “Last week, we ended the game in the 90th minute, and today wasn’t the same result, but hopefully, we can turn it around fast.”

The Roughnecks don’t get much of a chance to dwell on the disappointment, because they get right back at it on Saturday night when the USL expansion side Swope Park Rangers visit ONEOK Field for the second time. It is part of a difficult stretch in which Tulsa plays four games in a span of 13 days.

“We got to regroup and get ourselves ready for Saturday and Swope,” Irving said. “We got three games in seven days, then we go to Colorado Springs (on Aug. 11), but that’s football, no complaints. We just came up a little short. It was a tough one.”

Four minutes later, it appeared that the Blues took a 2-1 lead after Kwame Watson-Siriboe’s header beat Mangels, but it was waved off by the official due to a foul called on the play.

Less than a minute after that, in the 53rd minute, Orange County did strike again. Trevin Caesar pounced on a weak back pass from the Tulsa defense, stealing it and chipping it ahead. As Mangels and another Roughneck converged on the ball, Caesar managed to slip it past both of them, and then trotted into the box to deposit it into the empty net.

Brady Ballew photo by Rich Crimi

“Okay, the guy comes inside, hits the post, it could have gone anywhere, it goes in, that’s the way things have been going,” Irving said of Chaplow’s goal. “And then the second one, it was a calamity of errors. A bad pass back, the goalkeeper’s nowhere to be found and it’s in. It’s very disappointing.”

With time winding down, Mata had a chance for the equalizer. He received a nice pass from Ochoa and boomed a shot from the right side of the penalty area, about 15 yards out, that appeared to be heading in before Watson-Siriboe re-directed harmlessly it over the crossbar.

“Sammy played a good ball in, I got it right out of the air, it looked like it was going in, but unluckily, the defender got a clearance on it at the last moment,” Mata said of the play. “Last week, we ended the game in the 90th minute, and today wasn’t the same result, but hopefully, we can turn it around fast.”

The Roughnecks don’t get much of a chance to dwell on the disappointment, because they get right back at it on Saturday night when the USL expansion side Swope Park Rangers visit ONEOK Field for the second time. It is part of a difficult stretch in which Tulsa plays four games in a span of 13 days.

“We got to regroup and get ourselves ready for Saturday and Swope,” Irving said. “We got three games in seven days, then we go to Colorado Springs (on Aug. 11), but that’s football, no complaints. We just came up a little short. It was a tough one.”

Tulsa Roughnecks FC was without captain and leading goal scorer Sammy Ochoa for Saturday’s match at Arizona United, but Cristian Mata filled in superbly.  Mata registered a brace, with the second goal coming in second-half stoppage time, to propel the Roughnecks to a 2-1 victory at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Match Photos courtesy of Arizona United SC

The win was the fifth of the season for TRFC and improved its season point total to 18, level with the Portland Timbers 2 in the Western Conference table of the USL.

Mata’s big night started early, as he gave the Roughnecks the lead just three minutes into the match.  A long ball from Carlos Martinez deflected off the head of Arizona defender Julian Ringhof and to Union High School and University of Tulsa product.  Mata calmly chipped the ball over goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski and softly into the back of the net to give TRFC the quick 1-0 lead.

Tulsa Roughnecks FC was without captain and leading goal scorer Sammy Ochoa for Saturday’s match at Arizona United, but Cristian Mata filled in superbly.  Mata registered a brace, with the second goal coming in second-half stoppage time, to propel the Roughnecks to a 2-1 victory at the Peoria Sports Complex.

Match Photos courtesy of Arizona United SC

The win was the fifth of the season for TRFC and improved its season point total to 18, level with the Portland Timbers 2 in the Western Conference table of the USL.

Mata’s big night started early, as he gave the Roughnecks the lead just three minutes into the match.  A long ball from Carlos Martinez deflected off the head of Arizona defender Julian Ringhof and to Union High School and University of Tulsa product.  Mata calmly chipped the ball over goalkeeper Carl Woszczynski and softly into the back of the net to give TRFC the quick 1-0 lead.

It remained that way through the first 45 minutes, but Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels was called into action a couple of times before the break.  He easily saved a header from the dangerous Long Tan and survived his own miscue in the 27th minute.  Mangels misplayed a high bouncing ball and watched it go over his head.  He quickly recovered and took the ball off the foot Tyler Blackwood before the United forward could shoot into the empty net.

For most of the second half, it looked as if the Roughnecks would register the one-goal win, but the action picked up in the final 30 minutes.

In the 60th minute, Arizona United leveled the score with an own goal.  A cross from the left wing went directly to center back Isaiah Schafer.  Schafer missed on his clearance attempt and the ball deflected past Mangels and into the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.

Mata seemed intent on making sure Schafer’s miscue would not prove costly. 

He appeared to put Tulsa in front in the 74th minute when he ran onto another long ball behind the Arizona defense.  He ran at Woszczynski and circled the keeper before putting the ball in the back of the net.  As the Roughnecks celebrated the goal, the referee conferred with his assistant before waving the goal off with an offside call.  Even though the call came late, replays showed the decision was likely correct, leaving the score level at 1-1.

But, Mata was not to be denied his winner.  Two minutes into four minutes of stoppage time, he struck again.  David Abidor played a ball forward that Mata passed to substitute Kaleem just inside the center circle.  The Pakistan International smartly played the ball wide back to Mata who raced into the box and slid a low, right-footed shot past the keeper and into the back of the net.

It remained that way through the first 45 minutes, but Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels was called into action a couple of times before the break.  He easily saved a header from the dangerous Long Tan and survived his own miscue in the 27th minute.  Mangels misplayed a high bouncing ball and watched it go over his head.  He quickly recovered and took the ball off the foot Tyler Blackwood before the United forward could shoot into the empty net.

For most of the second half, it looked as if the Roughnecks would register the one-goal win, but the action picked up in the final 30 minutes.

In the 60th minute, Arizona United leveled the score with an own goal.  A cross from the left wing went directly to center back Isaiah Schafer.  Schafer missed on his clearance attempt and the ball deflected past Mangels and into the back of the net to even the score at 1-1.

Mata seemed intent on making sure Schafer’s miscue would not prove costly. 

He appeared to put Tulsa in front in the 74th minute when he ran onto another long ball behind the Arizona defense.  He ran at Woszczynski and circled the keeper before putting the ball in the back of the net.  As the Roughnecks celebrated the goal, the referee conferred with his assistant before waving the goal off with an offside call.  Even though the call came late, replays showed the decision was likely correct, leaving the score level at 1-1.

But, Mata was not to be denied his winner.  Two minutes into four minutes of stoppage time, he struck again.  David Abidor played a ball forward that Mata passed to substitute Kaleem just inside the center circle.  The Pakistan International smartly played the ball wide back to Mata who raced into the box and slid a low, right-footed shot past the keeper and into the back of the net.

From there, Mangels and the Roughnecks back line of Schafer, Iarfhlaith Davoren, Devin Morgan and newcomer Edgar Espinoza made sure the one-goal lead held over the final two minutes of play.

It is the second time in his career that Mata has netted a brace.  He also scored two goals in a 5-1 win over the Real Monarchs last season.

The win allowed the Roughnecks to claim a series sweep of Arizona this season.  Tulsa also claimed a 3-2 win at ONEOK Field on July 1. 

Overall, it was the third win for the Roughnecks in four overall meetings with Arizona in two seasons of play.  They have yet to lose to United, picking up a draw to go with the three victories.

Ochoa was not the only forward to miss the match for Tulsa.  Bryce Taylor did not make the trip after suffering an ankle injury in training on Thursday.

Espinoza made his USL debut for TRFC in the game as the right back’s signing was finalized this week.  Espinoza was most recently with Shirak F.C. of the Armenian Premier League.  

The victory improved the Roughnecks’ record to 5-12-3 with 10 matches remaining in the USL regular season.  They are now nine points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.

Tulsa will have a chance to move further up the table next week with a pair of matches at ONEOK Field.  The first will be on Thursday, August 4 when TRFC will host the Orange County Blues in downtown Tulsa.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm.

From there, Mangels and the Roughnecks back line of Schafer, Iarfhlaith Davoren, Devin Morgan and newcomer Edgar Espinoza made sure the one-goal lead held over the final two minutes of play.

It is the second time in his career that Mata has netted a brace.  He also scored two goals in a 5-1 win over the Real Monarchs last season.

The win allowed the Roughnecks to claim a series sweep of Arizona this season.  Tulsa also claimed a 3-2 win at ONEOK Field on July 1. 

Overall, it was the third win for the Roughnecks in four overall meetings with Arizona in two seasons of play.  They have yet to lose to United, picking up a draw to go with the three victories.

Ochoa was not the only forward to miss the match for Tulsa.  Bryce Taylor did not make the trip after suffering an ankle injury in training on Thursday.

Espinoza made his USL debut for TRFC in the game as the right back’s signing was finalized this week.  Espinoza was most recently with Shirak F.C. of the Armenian Premier League.  

The victory improved the Roughnecks’ record to 5-12-3 with 10 matches remaining in the USL regular season.  They are now nine points out of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference standings.

Tulsa will have a chance to move further up the table next week with a pair of matches at ONEOK Field.  The first will be on Thursday, August 4 when TRFC will host the Orange County Blues in downtown Tulsa.  Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30pm.