SPRINGDALE, Ark. – Tulsa Athletic scored three first-half goals and cruised to a 3-0 victory at Ozark FC on Wednesday (June 19) at Har-Ber High School to end a three-match road trip.
With the win, Tulsa Athletic stayed unbeaten this season at 5-0-3 with an eight-match unbeaten streak. The green and yellow went 2-0-1 during a three-match road trip. Tulsa Athletic leads the Heartland Conference standings with 18 points as the green and yellow holds an eight-point advantage on second place Little Rock Rangers (10 points). The win clinched a home playoff contest for Tulsa Athletic.
Tulsa Athletic scored early and then Joe Garcia added two late first-half goals to pull away for the road win.
Billy Nzojyibwami put Tulsa Athletic up early in the contest with a goal in the 14th minute for a 1-0 edge for the road squad.
Late in the first half, Tulsa Athletic extended the lead with two goals from Joe Garcia. The midfielder made it 2-0 in the 45th minute with Elvis Barclay earning the assist on the tally. Garcia added his second score in extra time during the first half. After a foul in the box, Garcia scored on a penalty kick to up the Tulsa Athletic advantage to 3-0 right before halftime.
After the three goals in the first half, the second stanza slowed down without any scoring. Tulsa Athletic goalkeepers made some big saves to keep the shutout.
The combination of Bryson Reed and Nolan Cosgrove earned the shutout victory in goal. Reed started and played the first 60 minutes before Cosgrove came in for his first appearance for Tulsa Athletic. Cosgrove went the final 30 minutes and turned away some Ozark FC opportunities, including a penalty kick. The shutout was the second of the season for Tulsa Athletic.
Tulsa Athletic swept the season series with Ozark FC. In the first contest between the two teams in Tulsa on May 18, Tulsa Athletic won 3-1 at Veterans Park.
Tulsa Athletic returns home to play host to Demize NPSL on Sunday, June 30 at Veterans Park. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. with tickets available for as low as $5.
2019 NPSL Season
Heartland Conference
Ozark 1 : 3 Tulsa
Wednesday, June 19
Springdale, Ark. – Har-Ber High School
Scoring
TUL: Billy Nzojyibwami 14’
TUL: Joe Garcia 45’
TUL: Joe Garcia 45’+3’
