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Playing their second game in three nights, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC fell behind by two late goals in the second half, then nearly rallied at the end before ultimately succumbing to San Antonio FC, 2-1, Sunday night in front of 3,427 at ONEOK Field.

Match Photos by Rich Crimi

Wearing their alternate, throwback red kits, the Roughnecks (3-11-2) were unable to build off the momentum of a 3-2 triumph on Friday night, although a late goal by Jasson Ramos Carpio gave them a chance to tie it in stoppage time.

“I can’t knock the guys, they gave me 110 percent and sometimes it’s not meant to be,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “I thought we deserved to get something out of the game. It’s tough playing back to back games like that, two games in three days, but credit to them, they worked hard but just came up a little short. Disappointing, but we got to keep going, keep the spirits up and keep playing.”

San Antonio (5-5-5) won its third straight contest and its second this season over Tulsa, also defeating the Roughnecks 3-1 in Texas back on April 30.

The match was delayed by just over an hour due to rain and lightning. Following a scoreless first half, Tulsa conceded a goal in the 56th minute, then gave up a second in the 80th before Ramos Carpio got one back just after the 90-minute mark.

The Roughnecks actually had a prime opportunity just before the final whistle, as Ramos Carpio launched a corner kick into the middle of the goalie box, but the ball bounced past several Roughnecks and just wide of the far post.

Playing their second game in three nights, the Tulsa Roughnecks FC fell behind by two late goals in the second half, then nearly rallied at the end before ultimately succumbing to San Antonio FC, 2-1, Sunday night in front of 3,427 at ONEOK Field.

Match Photos by Rich Crimi

Wearing their alternate, throwback red kits, the Roughnecks (3-11-2) were unable to build off the momentum of a 3-2 triumph on Friday night, although a late goal by Jasson Ramos Carpio gave them a chance to tie it in stoppage time.

“I can’t knock the guys, they gave me 110 percent and sometimes it’s not meant to be,” said Roughnecks coach David Irving. “I thought we deserved to get something out of the game. It’s tough playing back to back games like that, two games in three days, but credit to them, they worked hard but just came up a little short. Disappointing, but we got to keep going, keep the spirits up and keep playing.”

San Antonio (5-5-5) won its third straight contest and its second this season over Tulsa, also defeating the Roughnecks 3-1 in Texas back on April 30.

The match was delayed by just over an hour due to rain and lightning. Following a scoreless first half, Tulsa conceded a goal in the 56th minute, then gave up a second in the 80th before Ramos Carpio got one back just after the 90-minute mark.

The Roughnecks actually had a prime opportunity just before the final whistle, as Ramos Carpio launched a corner kick into the middle of the goalie box, but the ball bounced past several Roughnecks and just wide of the far post.

“We had our chance at the end,” said Tulsa’s leading scorer, Sammy Ochoa. “Two mistakes in the game cost us at the end. We just got to keep going forward and hopefully we pick it up next week.”

The best scoring chance for either side in the first half came just seconds before the whistle when a 40-yard free kick by Carlos Martinez found David Abidor about five yards out from the left goalpost, but Abidor’s header was stopped by San Antonio goalkeeper Josh Ford.

San Antonio got on the scoreboard in the 56th minute on a goal by Michael Reed, his second of the season. Rafa Castillo took a free kick from about 45 yards, finding Reed about 15 yards out for a header that beat Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels.

Mangels prevented San Antonio from going up by two just three minutes later, as he made a difficult, lunging save on a Frank Tayou’s spin-around 15-yard blast.

San Antonio made it 2-0 in the 80th minute on beautiful goal by Tayou, his second of the year. After chasing down a nice lead pass from Carlos Alvarez, Tayou charged into the penalty area and chipped a 7-yard shot over the sliding Mangels into the upper right corner.

“That killed us,” Irving said of the second San Antonio goal. “We were in the game, and that one really killed us.”

The Roughnecks got one back just after stoppage time started. A shot from 20 yards out by Matt LaGrassa deflected off a San Antonio defender and ended up bouncing past the diving Ford and ricocheting off the right goal post. The ball then bounced right to Ramos Carpio, who deposited it from 5 yards out into the open left side of the net. It was the third goal of the season for Ramos Carpio, who had just entered the match as a substitute four minutes earlier. 

That made things a bit more interesting during the remainder of the three minutes of extra time as Tulsa pressed for the equalizer, culminating in the near-miss on the corner kick at the end.

“We had a chance right at the end there, but that’s the way it’s been going,” Irving said. “We had a little bit of luck, got back into it, but that’s football. Very disappointing, it would have been nice to get some points tonight and keep climbing up the league, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Tulsa will face Rio Grande Valley on the road next Sunday, and unfortunately, will be without the services of leading scorer Ochoa, who received a yellow card in the 62nd minute. That was the Tulsa captain’s fifth yellow of the season, triggering an automatic one-game suspension for the next match.

“I got to miss a game, and it’s hard, because on the road, they could use all the help they can get,” said Ochoa, who ranks fifth in the United Soccer League with eight goals and is tied for first with five assists. “Now I have to sit out and watch it from home. Hopefully we’ll get a good result down there.”

“We had our chance at the end,” said Tulsa’s leading scorer, Sammy Ochoa. “Two mistakes in the game cost us at the end. We just got to keep going forward and hopefully we pick it up next week.”

The best scoring chance for either side in the first half came just seconds before the whistle when a 40-yard free kick by Carlos Martinez found David Abidor about five yards out from the left goalpost, but Abidor’s header was stopped by San Antonio goalkeeper Josh Ford.

San Antonio got on the scoreboard in the 56th minute on a goal by Michael Reed, his second of the season. Rafa Castillo took a free kick from about 45 yards, finding Reed about 15 yards out for a header that beat Tulsa goalkeeper Alex Mangels.

Mangels prevented San Antonio from going up by two just three minutes later, as he made a difficult, lunging save on a Frank Tayou’s spin-around 15-yard blast.

San Antonio made it 2-0 in the 80th minute on beautiful goal by Tayou, his second of the year. After chasing down a nice lead pass from Carlos Alvarez, Tayou charged into the penalty area and chipped a 7-yard shot over the sliding Mangels into the upper right corner.

“That killed us,” Irving said of the second San Antonio goal. “We were in the game, and that one really killed us.”

The Roughnecks got one back just after stoppage time started. A shot from 20 yards out by Matt LaGrassa deflected off a San Antonio defender and ended up bouncing past the diving Ford and ricocheting off the right goal post. The ball then bounced right to Ramos Carpio, who deposited it from 5 yards out into the open left side of the net. It was the third goal of the season for Ramos Carpio, who had just entered the match as a substitute four minutes earlier. 

That made things a bit more interesting during the remainder of the three minutes of extra time as Tulsa pressed for the equalizer, culminating in the near-miss on the corner kick at the end.

“We had a chance right at the end there, but that’s the way it’s been going,” Irving said. “We had a little bit of luck, got back into it, but that’s football. Very disappointing, it would have been nice to get some points tonight and keep climbing up the league, but it wasn’t meant to be.”

Tulsa will face Rio Grande Valley on the road next Sunday, and unfortunately, will be without the services of leading scorer Ochoa, who received a yellow card in the 62nd minute. That was the Tulsa captain’s fifth yellow of the season, triggering an automatic one-game suspension for the next match.

“I got to miss a game, and it’s hard, because on the road, they could use all the help they can get,” said Ochoa, who ranks fifth in the United Soccer League with eight goals and is tied for first with five assists. “Now I have to sit out and watch it from home. Hopefully we’ll get a good result down there.”

Match Recap by John Tranchina

The Tulsa Roughnecks FC parlayed a strong start into an early two-goal lead, then held on in the second half to emerge with a 3-2 victory over Arizona United SC Friday night in front of 3,323 at ONEOK Field.

Match Photos by Rich Crimi

The victory gives Tulsa 11 points on the season and snaps a difficult six-match winless streak (0-5-1).

The potent combination of leading scorer Sammy Ochoa, along with local products Cristian Mata and Bryce Taylor, provided the offensive fireworks, while Tulsa also needed several big saves from goalkeeper Alex Mangels in the second half to secure the triumph.

Ochoa scored his eighth goal of the season, which ranks fifth in the United Soccer League, while adding two assists. Mata, who is from Tulsa and played at Union High School, scored his first goal of the season, along with an assist, while Taylor, who played for Broken Arrow High School, scored his first goal for the Roughnecks in just his third match.

“Coming in, we knew we needed a result, and tonight, we battled it out,” Mata said. “I felt we came out big in the first 30, it was just about finishing it off, and I thought we did that. We had a really good week of training, a tough week of training, and me and Sammy showed a good start and hopefully we can continue on that.”

Mangels, playing his second game since missing four matches with a hamstring injury, allowed two goals, but made nine saves, including a spectacular diving stop in the 90th minute on a 15-yard blast from Arizona’s Long Tan that would have tied the game.

Tulsa even played the final nine minutes – which included six minutes of stoppage time – down a man after defender Anthony Peters was shown a red card in the 87th minute for a hard tackle.

“I thought we played well the first half,” Roughnecks coach David Irving said. “We could have had a few more, we didn’t, and we let them put a goal in. We had 10 men (at the end), but it was a good victory and the boys worked hard. All credit to them, it wasn’t an easy night, but we’ll take the three points.”

The loss leaves Arizona at 4-6-5 and snaps its four-game unbeaten streak (2-0-2).

The Roughnecks surged to a 2-0 lead just 14 minutes into the match.

Ochoa started the barrage just six minutes in, receiving a pass from Mata on the rush and firing a 20-yard shot low and just inside the right goalpost.

Taylor then made it 2-0 with a spectacular individual effort. After collecting a nice lead pass from Ochoa, the Broken Arrow product dribbled down the left wing into the penalty box, squeezed through several different defenders and then deposited an 8-yard shot just inside the right post.

Carlos Martinez nearly gave the Roughnecks a three-goal lead four minutes later, with a 10-yard header, but Arizona goalkeeper Jordan Stagmiller made an excellent diving save.

Arizona United pulled to within one in the 28th minute on Tan’s third goal of the season. Tony Cascio lofted a high pass from the left wing, which found Tan in the middle, about 8 yards out, for a header that bounced just past the lunging Mangels.

Match Recap by John Tranchina

The Tulsa Roughnecks FC parlayed a strong start into an early two-goal lead, then held on in the second half to emerge with a 3-2 victory over Arizona United SC Friday night in front of 3,323 at ONEOK Field.

Match Photos by Rich Crimi

The victory gives Tulsa 11 points on the season and snaps a difficult six-match winless streak (0-5-1).

The potent combination of leading scorer Sammy Ochoa, along with local products Cristian Mata and Bryce Taylor, provided the offensive fireworks, while Tulsa also needed several big saves from goalkeeper Alex Mangels in the second half to secure the triumph.

Ochoa scored his eighth goal of the season, which ranks fifth in the United Soccer League, while adding two assists. Mata, who is from Tulsa and played at Union High School, scored his first goal of the season, along with an assist, while Taylor, who played for Broken Arrow High School, scored his first goal for the Roughnecks in just his third match.

“Coming in, we knew we needed a result, and tonight, we battled it out,” Mata said. “I felt we came out big in the first 30, it was just about finishing it off, and I thought we did that. We had a really good week of training, a tough week of training, and me and Sammy showed a good start and hopefully we can continue on that.”

Mangels, playing his second game since missing four matches with a hamstring injury, allowed two goals, but made nine saves, including a spectacular diving stop in the 90th minute on a 15-yard blast from Arizona’s Long Tan that would have tied the game.

Tulsa even played the final nine minutes – which included six minutes of stoppage time – down a man after defender Anthony Peters was shown a red card in the 87th minute for a hard tackle.

“I thought we played well the first half,” Roughnecks coach David Irving said. “We could have had a few more, we didn’t, and we let them put a goal in. We had 10 men (at the end), but it was a good victory and the boys worked hard. All credit to them, it wasn’t an easy night, but we’ll take the three points.”

The loss leaves Arizona at 4-6-5 and snaps its four-game unbeaten streak (2-0-2).

The Roughnecks surged to a 2-0 lead just 14 minutes into the match.

Ochoa started the barrage just six minutes in, receiving a pass from Mata on the rush and firing a 20-yard shot low and just inside the right goalpost.

Taylor then made it 2-0 with a spectacular individual effort. After collecting a nice lead pass from Ochoa, the Broken Arrow product dribbled down the left wing into the penalty box, squeezed through several different defenders and then deposited an 8-yard shot just inside the right post.

Carlos Martinez nearly gave the Roughnecks a three-goal lead four minutes later, with a 10-yard header, but Arizona goalkeeper Jordan Stagmiller made an excellent diving save.

Arizona United pulled to within one in the 28th minute on Tan’s third goal of the season. Tony Cascio lofted a high pass from the left wing, which found Tan in the middle, about 8 yards out, for a header that bounced just past the lunging Mangels.

Mata restored Tulsa’s two-goal lead in the 40th minute, receiving a pass from Ochoa and barging in alone on Stagmiller, making a cut to his left before popping it home low inside the near post.

Arizona had one more prime chance before halftime when a cross by Cascio pinballed off the head of a Tulsa defender in front, forcing Mangels to make a diving save. The ball then bounced out to Tyler Blackwood, Arizona’s leading scorer, for a point-blank rebound chance and Mangels stopped smothered it.

Starting the second half up 3-1, the Roughnecks were on the defensive for virtually the rest of the game.

Arizona almost got one back just two minutes after the break when a pass from Peter Kelly found Tan in front of goal, about 5 yards out.  But, Tan’s volley pinged off the crossbar.

Mangels then made a tough save in the 53rd minute, leaping up to get his hand on a 20-yard shot by Chris Cortez, barely deflecting it over the crossbar.

United did pull to within one in the 57th minute on Tan’s second of the night. The play was set up by a free kick from Adam West about 25 yards out near the right sideline, as Tan’s leaping header from about 12 yards out deflected into the back of the net.

West nearly tied it in the 77th minute with a booming 25-yarder that curled toward the upper right corner, but Mangels leaped and deflected it straight up in the air with his hand, barely corralling it when the ball landed.

It was the 87th minute when Peters was sent off with a straight red card, putting Tulsa a man down the rest of the way.

Mata restored Tulsa’s two-goal lead in the 40th minute, receiving a pass from Ochoa and barging in alone on Stagmiller, making a cut to his left before popping it home low inside the near post.

Arizona had one more prime chance before halftime when a cross by Cascio pinballed off the head of a Tulsa defender in front, forcing Mangels to make a diving save. The ball then bounced out to Tyler Blackwood, Arizona’s leading scorer, for a point-blank rebound chance and Mangels stopped smothered it.

Starting the second half up 3-1, the Roughnecks were on the defensive for virtually the rest of the game.

Arizona almost got one back just two minutes after the break when a pass from Peter Kelly found Tan in front of goal, about 5 yards out.  But, Tan’s volley pinged off the crossbar.

Mangels then made a tough save in the 53rd minute, leaping up to get his hand on a 20-yard shot by Chris Cortez, barely deflecting it over the crossbar.

United did pull to within one in the 57th minute on Tan’s second of the night. The play was set up by a free kick from Adam West about 25 yards out near the right sideline, as Tan’s leaping header from about 12 yards out deflected into the back of the net.

West nearly tied it in the 77th minute with a booming 25-yarder that curled toward the upper right corner, but Mangels leaped and deflected it straight up in the air with his hand, barely corralling it when the ball landed.

It was the 87th minute when Peters was sent off with a straight red card, putting Tulsa a man down the rest of the way.

The Roughnecks nearly had to settle for a disappointing draw, but Mangels came up with the save of the night in the 90th minute, diving to stop Tan’s bid for a hat trick on a 15-yard blast that appeared headed for the lower right corner.

“Obviously, the score dictates the pattern of play,” Irving said. “We’re 3-1 up in the second half, obviously they’re going to come at us, and they got a goal, so that changed the game. But we hung on and we fought, and then at the end, they gave six minutes of stoppage time.  I don’t know where that came from, but that’s what we had to deal with. It was nice to get three points.”

The Roughnecks get very little time to rest, though, as they are right back at it on Sunday night, when USL expansion side San Antonio FC visits ONEOK Field.

The Roughnecks nearly had to settle for a disappointing draw, but Mangels came up with the save of the night in the 90th minute, diving to stop Tan’s bid for a hat trick on a 15-yard blast that appeared headed for the lower right corner.

“Obviously, the score dictates the pattern of play,” Irving said. “We’re 3-1 up in the second half, obviously they’re going to come at us, and they got a goal, so that changed the game. But we hung on and we fought, and then at the end, they gave six minutes of stoppage time.  I don’t know where that came from, but that’s what we had to deal with. It was nice to get three points.”

The Roughnecks get very little time to rest, though, as they are right back at it on Sunday night, when USL expansion side San Antonio FC visits ONEOK Field.

Irving hopes that some of the recent roster additions – such as Taylor, and midfielder Matt LaGrassa, who made his second appearance for the Roughnecks when he entered the match in the 61st minute, and Steven Miller, one of the squad’s most dependable players last year who just re-joined the club on loan from NASL Carolina, will help Tulsa make a charge up the standings.

“We brought Bryce Taylor in, and two local boys score, we brought Matt LaGrassa in, we’re trying to shuffle the deck a little bit and it’s worked,” Irving said. “Steven Miller’s back with us for a month or so. Obviously, we had a rough start, but no excuses. We just got to continue this trend and hopefully we can get three points on Sunday." 

Irving hopes that some of the recent roster additions – such as Taylor, and midfielder Matt LaGrassa, who made his second appearance for the Roughnecks when he entered the match in the 61st minute, and Steven Miller, one of the squad’s most dependable players last year who just re-joined the club on loan from NASL Carolina, will help Tulsa make a charge up the standings.

“We brought Bryce Taylor in, and two local boys score, we brought Matt LaGrassa in, we’re trying to shuffle the deck a little bit and it’s worked,” Irving said. “Steven Miller’s back with us for a month or so. Obviously, we had a rough start, but no excuses. We just got to continue this trend and hopefully we can get three points on Sunday.” 

Just one week after playing to an entertaining draw at ONEOK Field, the Tulsa Roughnecks and the Los Angeles Galaxy II met again Friday night in California.  It proved to be a frustrating night for the Roughnecks who failed to convert several dangerous chances, and the Galaxy II scored a goal in each half to gain a 2-0 victory.

The match started at a quick pace as each side produced early chances.  In the fourth minute, Tulsa’s Gustavo Villalobos beat the Los Dos backline for a solo run at goal, but his shot was turned away by goalkeeper Bennett Sneddon.

Just one minute later, the Galaxy II took advantage of a mistake to take the lead.  Gary Cennerazzo attempted to flick a header back to goalkeeper Alex Mangels, but the ball met Adonis Amaya in stride.  Amaya calmly circled Mangels and finished to give Los Dos the 1-0 lead.

Tulsa pushed forward looking for an equalizer and it nearly came in the 16th minute as captain Sammy Ochoa’s header was on frame, but it was kept out on a diving Sneddon.

In the 23rd minute, a dangerous corner kick from Jasson Ramos Carpio fell to an unmarked David Abidor, but the defender’s blast went high over the crossbar.

The best chance of the half for the Roughnecks came in the final minute on a free kick from just outside the box.  Ramos Carpio’s curling right-footed shot appeared headed for the lower, left corner of the goal, but Sneddon was again up to the task, making another diving save.

The biggest play of the match occurred seconds after the start of the half.  LA forward Jose Villarreal collided with Abidor at the top corner of the penalty area, and referee Farhad Darkho promptly pointed to the penalty spot.

Galaxy midfielder Alejandro Covarrubias sent Mangels the wrong way and converted the spot kick to double the lead and put the Roughnecks in a 2-0 hole.

Shortly after the goal, head coach David Irving turned to his bench, using four of his available substitutes in search of a goal.  Irving brought on Kaleem, Brady Ballew, Cristian Mata and newcomer Matt LaGrassa.

Just one week after playing to an entertaining draw at ONEOK Field, the Tulsa Roughnecks and the Los Angeles Galaxy II met again Friday night in California.  It proved to be a frustrating night for the Roughnecks who failed to convert several dangerous chances, and the Galaxy II scored a goal in each half to gain a 2-0 victory.

The match started at a quick pace as each side produced early chances.  In the fourth minute, Tulsa’s Gustavo Villalobos beat the Los Dos backline for a solo run at goal, but his shot was turned away by goalkeeper Bennett Sneddon.

Just one minute later, the Galaxy II took advantage of a mistake to take the lead.  Gary Cennerazzo attempted to flick a header back to goalkeeper Alex Mangels, but the ball met Adonis Amaya in stride.  Amaya calmly circled Mangels and finished to give Los Dos the 1-0 lead.

Tulsa pushed forward looking for an equalizer and it nearly came in the 16th minute as captain Sammy Ochoa’s header was on frame, but it was kept out on a diving Sneddon.

In the 23rd minute, a dangerous corner kick from Jasson Ramos Carpio fell to an unmarked David Abidor, but the defender’s blast went high over the crossbar.

The best chance of the half for the Roughnecks came in the final minute on a free kick from just outside the box.  Ramos Carpio’s curling right-footed shot appeared headed for the lower, left corner of the goal, but Sneddon was again up to the task, making another diving save.

The biggest play of the match occurred seconds after the start of the half.  LA forward Jose Villarreal collided with Abidor at the top corner of the penalty area, and referee Farhad Darkho promptly pointed to the penalty spot.

Galaxy midfielder Alejandro Covarrubias sent Mangels the wrong way and converted the spot kick to double the lead and put the Roughnecks in a 2-0 hole.

Shortly after the goal, head coach David Irving turned to his bench, using four of his available substitutes in search of a goal.  Irving brought on Kaleem, Brady Ballew, Cristian Mata and newcomer Matt LaGrassa.

TRFC came close several times to producing the goal that would get it back in the match.  In the 54th minute, Ochoa’s header on a cross found the back of the net, but the assistant referee’s flag was up for an offside call.

Tulsa’s frustrating night continued in the 77th minute.  Defender Raymond Lee ran perfectly onto a free kick cross from Villalobos, but his right-footed volley caromed off the crossbar, keeping the Roughnecks scoreless.

The Roughnecks’ chances of a comeback ended in the 87th minute when Villalobos collided from behind with Villarreal and Ballew.  All three players hit the ground and Villalobos was shown a red card by Darkho, reducing TRFC to 10 men.

Ballew did have one final chance in added time, but his right-footed volley in front of goal slid across the goal mouth.

The Roughnecks will return to action in one week when they host Arizona United at ONEOK Field on Friday, July 1.  It will be the first of two home matches in three days as they will face San Antonio FC on Sunday, July 3.  In celebration of the July 4th Holiday Weekend, Fireworks Spectaculars will follow both matches.  Kickoff each night is scheduled for 7:30pm in downtown Tulsa

TRFC came close several times to producing the goal that would get it back in the match.  In the 54th minute, Ochoa’s header on a cross found the back of the net, but the assistant referee’s flag was up for an offside call.

Tulsa’s frustrating night continued in the 77th minute.  Defender Raymond Lee ran perfectly onto a free kick cross from Villalobos, but his right-footed volley caromed off the crossbar, keeping the Roughnecks scoreless.

The Roughnecks’ chances of a comeback ended in the 87th minute when Villalobos collided from behind with Villarreal and Ballew.  All three players hit the ground and Villalobos was shown a red card by Darkho, reducing TRFC to 10 men.

Ballew did have one final chance in added time, but his right-footed volley in front of goal slid across the goal mouth.

The Roughnecks will return to action in one week when they host Arizona United at ONEOK Field on Friday, July 1.  It will be the first of two home matches in three days as they will face San Antonio FC on Sunday, July 3.  In celebration of the July 4th Holiday Weekend, Fireworks Spectaculars will follow both matches.  Kickoff each night is scheduled for 7:30pm in downtown Tulsa