TULSA – Abou Diallo finished with a brace with two goals as Tulsa Athletic secured an impressive 4-0 win over 2021 Heartland Conference regular season champion Demize NPSL on Wednesday (June 22) at Athletic Community Field at Hicks Park.
Tulsa Athletic moved to 6-1-2 on the season with a conference-leading 20 points. Demize dropped to 3-3-3 on the year.
“It was a great response from the boys after a dip in form,” head coach Levi Coleman said. “We as coaches felt they had a good all-around performance from attacking to defending to transition to attitude. It was a lot to be proud of. Now it’s time to focus on the next match and the final home stretch of the season. Our eyes are on Sunflower State this Saturday.”
The green and yellow started quick with a goal in the fourth minute for a 1-0 edge. Juan Moreno, just only day after his birthday on June 21, tallied his second goal of the season to put the home side up early.
Moreno set up the second goal of the night when his header allowed Diallo to fire a shot that chipped over the Demize goalkeeper for a 2-0 score in the 36th minute.
Tulsa Athletic held a 2-0 lead after the first 45 minutes of the contest.
Diallo made it a brace with a goal on a penalty in the 52nd minute to up the advantage to 3-0 for Tulsa. With the two goals, Diallo has a team-leading six goals on the season.
Ruben Carrasco added the final Tulsa Athletic tally for the 4-0 score late in the match.
The green and yellow posted their fourth shutout of the season, all coming in their last six matches. Bryson Reed earned the shutout win in goal. He made a diving save late in the first half along with a few other saves on the night.
The back three of Ethan Gordan, who was making his first appearance in the green and yellow, Gustavo Vargas and Francisco Lopez played a huge part in the shutout. Plus midfielders Joel Quashie and Joe Ruiz helped in the defensive effort.
Tulsa Athletic now goes on the road for a key conference match at Sunflower State on Saturday at 5 p.m. Sunflower ranks third in the conference standings. A live stream will be available for the contest.
The green and yellow are back at home on July 6 at 7 p.m. against OKC 1889 FC at Athletic Community Field at Hicks Park.
