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Tacoma Defiance

Sounders FC 2 Falls to Tulsa Roughnecks FC in First Loss of Season

April 16, 2015 - United Soccer League Championship (USL)
Tacoma Defiance News Release


TUKWILA, WASH. - In its first away match of the 2015 USL season, Sounders FC 2 (3-1-0, 9 points) fell to Tulsa Roughnecks FC (1-2-1, 4 points) Thursday evening by a final score of 4-3 in a game that saw five goals scored in the first 25 minutes. Tulsa's Lucas Cordeiro scored the game-winner in the 77th minute, handing S2 its first loss of the season.

Roughnecks FC forward Gibson Bardsley scored the first goal of the match after only 93 seconds, capitalizing on a miscommunication between S2 goalkeeper Charlie Lyon and defender Jimmy Ockford.

Qudus Lawal of S2 equalized for the Rave Green in the ninth minute, as midfielder Duncan McCormick's shot went wide, but Lawal was at the post to tap the ball in past Tulsa goalkeeper Zac Lubin.

This match marked Lawal's first start for the team, and he scored his second of tally of the night only a minute after his first as S2 midfielder Aaron Kovar threaded a pass through to Lawal, who slotted his shot past Lubin to give S2 the lead.

The Rave Green nearly made it 3-1 when Lawal made a run to the ball, but was pushed down from behind in the eighteen-yard-box by Ryan Price. Midfielder Giuliano Frano stepped up to take the penalty kick, but his shot was read well by Lubin, who made the save low to his left.

Tulsa controlled a majority of the possession throughout the game, and capitalized on a bouncing ball outside the area, which Eli Galbraith-Knapp shot past Lyon to draw level in the 19th minute.

An S2 corner-kick in the 25th minute gave the team the lead again as Kovar's cross found the head of S2 defender Aaron Long, who passed the ball to defender Jimmy Ockford. The Pennsylvania native slotted his shot past the diving Lubin to make it 3-2. It was Ockford's first goal of the season.

In the 29th minute, Tulsa drew level once again as Bardsley rang a shot off the crossbar from 30 yards out, but midfielder Steven Miller was there to take the rebound and put it past Lyon to make it 3-3.

Cordeiro's game-winner came as Tulsa earned a free kick from 25 yards, which Lyon came off his line to grab. However, the S2 netminder wasn't able to make it to the ball as it was deflected to the feet of Cordeiro, who calmly slotted a shot into the empty net, giving the home side a 4-3 victory.

S2 has now scored 13 goals in four games, and has conceded seven - good for a plus-six goal differential. The four goals scored by Roughnecks FC were one more than the Rave Green had allowed prior to this match.

Head Coach Ezra Hendrickson's side has a quick turnaround and will face undefeated Oklahoma City Energy FC away on Saturday, April 18 at 5:00 p.m. PT. The game will be live-streamed on SoundersFC.com.

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